Relatively Blue
by Deona Lindholm
Summary: Takes place almost 2 years after "Family".  The Rangers race against time as they work to discover the truth behind a mysterious disease.  Read and review please!  Latest Chapter fixed, sorry!
1. Prologue:  Loud Silence

_Relatively Blue_

_Prologue: Loud Silence_

_A.N.: This chapter takes place right after "Day of the Dumpster" and has references to "High Five". The rest of the story happens during the events of Power Rangers Zeo, one day after the events of "Shooting Star"._

_Moon Palace_

_I should have thought of this sooner, back before I trapped Zordon!_

That was Rita Repulsa's first thought as she paced in the walkway between Finster's workshop and the balcony. Ever since her humiliating defeat against the Power Rangers just days after she was freed from her dumpster prison, she had been scheming to come up with a way to get revenge as well as to make sure that there wouldn't be any new nasty surprises. Within a day, she came up with one.

"Just what are you planning-" Goldar started to ask.

"Shut up! I'll tell you when I'm good and ready to," she snapped, then shouted, "Finster! Is the first monster ready yet?"

"Actually, my queen, I just finished," the short monster-maker replied as he stepped out of his alcove. "As you ordered, it can become invisible-"

"Don't give me that long-winded jabber, you oaf! Will it do everything I wanted?" she snapped at him.

"Y-Yes it will," was the reply.

Squatt asked, "Uh, what kind of monster are they talkin' about this time?"

"No idea, Finster and Rita have been very close-mouthed about the monster itself," Baboo reluctantly answered, not liking that he had to admit it in front of the shorter blockhead.

"Good! Finster, put the monster through the machine! Squatt, Baboo, Goldar! You three leave the area! _Now!_"

All three underlings looked confused, then shrugged and left for another part of the castle.

"What's goin' on? She doesn't want us in there for this creature?" Squatt asked.

"I heard that this one's part of the long-term phase of her latest plan," Goldar answered, "I have to admit, it's a hideous thing to do, even for her!"

"Which makes it perfect!"

The shorter monster waited for the armored monkey and the mechanical genius to walk farther up before he quickly ran back the way he came.

_I've gotta see this secret monster of hers!_

As Squatt reached one of the walls, he could hear the familiar "poof" sound that came when one of the monsters was out of the baking machine and ready for battle.

"Yes? What are your orders, Empress Rita?" he could hear a voice that sounded like a cross between hissing and slight whispering.

"Turn yourself invisible, then go Angel Grove, on Earth. From there...do your worst!"

"Just what I like to hear, my mistress!"

"Remember, _stay invisible_! Even when you pick up your 'harvest', that old fool Zordon won't be able to detect you while you do, we made sure of that!"

"But of course!"

Squatt blinked as he peeked his head around the corner, and as he did so, he bumped one of the nearby carts with his heel.

"Who's there!" he heard.

_Whuh-oh!_

00000

Goldar and Baboo heard the sharp question, then a couple of moments later, they heard the sound of someone coming up behind them. The two turned around and saw Rita glaring at them fiercely and holding Squatt by the collar.

"You buffoon! Didn't Rita tell us to leave the area? That means not to go back!" Baboo then said, "I'm very sorry, my queen. I'll be sure to punish him for this!"

"Don't bother," she growled, "I'll punish him myself!" before letting go and shoving the eavesdropper towards the other two rather harshly. "Now...Baboo, start making the time warp device, and keep that idiot away from me until I decide just what to do with him!"

"But of course!" _It'll take the better part of a week before it's finished. I just hope Squatt doesn't get in the way in the meantime!_

000000000000000

_Angel Grove, Earth_

_Angel Grove Park_

It was close to lunchtime when everything began.

Three of the classes from Angel Grove Elementary school were in the park, having their yearly picnic/field trip. Two of the teachers, a woman and a man, were busy cooking hamburgers and hot dogs on the nearby grills while watching the children on the playground area that was enclosed with wood and sand. The other was instructing the three student teachers.

"Catherine and Michael," she ordered, "You two watch the kids while Anne helps me set up the plates and silverware. If any trouble starts up, you call me at once. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good, now get going!"

Catherine went over to one of the groups that were playing hide and seek near a small grove of trees. As she guessed, one of the children, a girl with neck-length light brown hair was crouching behind a tree, counting upwards. A tail from the green ribbon flapped in the breeze.

"Being the seeker again, Clara?" she asked with a wry smile.

The child turned and frowned. "Not Clara! I told you, it's Clairie!"

She laughed at the serious look on the little girl's face and amended, "Okay, okay. Where'd you get a nickname like that, anyway?"

"My big brother calls me that, an' I like it!" She giggled at that.

"You sure love your brother, don't you?"

"Yep!"

"So how come you have to be the seeker? Aren't you usually one of the hiders?"

Clairie pouted and answered, "I hide too good, so they said I can't play with 'em anymore unless I'm seekin'. It's just not fair!"

Catherine chuckled and said, "Lots in life isn't fair. Now you better go find your friends. Lunch will be ready soon."

"Ok, Mrs. Hart! Bye!" She straightened up, smoothed out her green dress and ran off.

Catherine shook her head and walked over to the children that were playing on the swings. Beside them, a little girl was on the lower chinning bars, trying to push herself onto the top.

"Maxine, what do you think you're doing?" she called out, concerned, as the child sat on top.

"I'm gonna be a jim-nist!" she called out.

"A what?" she asked, confused.

"A jim-nist! Watch!" The child then stood and started to walk when Catherine quickly grabbed Maxine and set her down on the ground.

"How about you show me down here?"

"Aww, ok. You're no fun, though." She then stretched and did a somersault, then a backflip.

The female student teacher's face brightened as she realized what the child was saying. "Ohh, a _gymnast_!"

"Uh-huh!"

"You know, I have a daughter that's a gymnast, too."

Maxine's eyes widened with surprise. "Really? Wow, that's _cool_!"

"How about one of these days, after school, we'll go to the Youth Center so you can see her?"

"Wow! O-kay!"

"Mrs. Hart!" she heard from the grove of trees. She turned and saw Clairie and five other children, all looking glum. The little girl waved and said with a smile, "I found 'em all, easy-peasy!"

That was when they heard a loud _boom. _Immediately after that there was a blast of wind that knocked Catherine and Maxine off their feet. As soon as the teacher got back on her feet, she helped the hopeful gymnast up.

"Are you hurt?"

"Nuh-uh," was the answer.

"Good."

Catherine then looked about and saw the small hide-and-seek group, all lying on the ground.

_This isn't good._

"Maxine, listen to me closely. You go get the teacher and bring her here. Say it's an emergency. Is that clear?"

"Yeah," she replied and ran off.

The teacher ran to them quickly as one of them slowly got up, dusting off her green dress.

"Clairie, are you okay?"

The child's mouth moved, but no sound came out at all.

"Clairie?"

The only sound made was a gasp. She then put a hand to her throat and tried again.

"Clairie, this isn't funny! Talk to me!"

The little girl became more frustrated as she tried to answer, to no avail. She bent down and drew with her fingers before she started checking the other kids. Catherine bent down to read the words.

_I can't talk. It's all gone._

Her eyes widened as she realized that the child was not joking around. Fighting down panic, she quickly joined Clairie in checking the students. Most had already regained consciousness and were standing up with their help, though one of them, a brown-haired boy, simply lay still, with his eyes wide open. A quick check showed that he was still breathing.

The student teacher looked up to give the little girl instructions when she saw Maxine running towards them, along with the female teacher.

"I brought Mrs. Woods, Mrs. Hart-" The child started to explain.

"Are they okay?"

"No, I don't think so," Catherine replied, "Clara can't speak, and one of them is in bad shape. I don't know about the others."

"I see. Maxine, go find Mr. Calvert and bring him here. As for you, Mrs. Hart, help me get these children onto the bus, then go back to the others. They're to eat as planned, and then go home immediately. I'll take these to the hospital."

"Right!"

0000000000

It was a couple of hours later when Mrs. Woods, still at the hospital, went to one of the phones and dialed the number of the first of the students that had been brought in. Predictably, there was a prompt answer.

"_Hello?"_

"Yes, ma'am? This is Angela Woods, Clara's teacher. I'm calling from Angel Grove General Hospital."

"_The hospital? Did something happen to Clairie?"_

"Yes, I'm afraid so. There was some kind of explosion in the park today around noon. Your daughter and five others were found knocked out immediately afterwards."

"_Oh, my goodness. How are they?"_

"Well..." She took a deep breath, then noticed that one of the doctors was walking her way from the examining room.

"Is that one of the parents you're talking to?"

"Yes, Clara Marie's mother. Her family calls her Clairie."

He gestured with his hand to hand the phone to him.

"Ma'am, this is Dr. Carson. Clairie, for the most part is in good condition."

"_What do you mean for the most part?" _Mrs. Woods could hear.

"I mean, ma'am, that she and three others are completely unable to speak. Other than that, they're fine. In fact, I need you to come here so that we can see about releasing Clairie."

"_Oh, no...I'll be there right away. Her father's at work often lately, and I know her older brother's going to be very upset. He just dotes on her. I better pick him up from school and bring him with me, too. She just turned 7 last weekend..." _There was a pause as a calming breath was taken, then she continued, _"I'm sorry. We'll be there very soon. Good-bye."_

After the phone was hung up and the doctor turned back to her, the teacher asked, "You mentioned only four of them. What happened to the other two?"

"Honestly? One of the boys went into a catatonic state a few minutes ago, and the other one died shortly after arriving."

This information floored the teacher and she faintly heard the names of the student that had died and the other one.

_Four are mute, maybe for the rest of their lives, one's catatonic and the other one's dead... Just what happened to these children? We all heard the loud boom, but there was no real explosion_, she thought, even as the doctor left. Even as she waited for the girl's mother, she couldn't think of any explanation that would satisfy the families that she knew would come, much less demand answers as to how this had happened.

Surely enough, within half an hour, both the mother, a dark brown haired woman wearing a brown dress, and a young man wearing a blue outfit and suspenders, walked very quickly into the hospital. The woman was expressionless, but the young man was pale, with a stricken expression on his face. His hands shook as he pushed up his glasses and ran them through hair that could easily be either golden blonde or very light brown.

"Please," he said, his voice soft but pained, "Can you take me to my sister? I want to see Clairie!"

The doctor looked hesitantly to the mother, who merely nodded and said, "Go ahead." He then went with the young man over to one of the examining rooms.

Even though she would see many upset people as the other three mute children were picked up, as well as when the parents of the one that had died, the look on the face of Clairie's brother and his voice would continue to haunt Mrs. Woods.

0000000000

As the days passed, the children in the incident grew progressively worse. They never spoke again, three of them became more tired every day until they became catatonic, while the one that was already in that state died within a week.

By the end of the year, all but one of the children had died. The remaining one had gone through testing to find out why she had survived, but to no avail. The tests had ended when her parents ordered them to end. By that time, doctors and researchers had put out an announcement that the incident was caused by the children being caught up in an explosion and as a result, they had contracted disease that had never been discovered before then. At the same time, they announced that the name of the disease was named after its only survivor.

The illness was named Cranston Syndrome.


	2. Three Years Later

_Chapter 1: Three Years Later_

_Angel Grove High School_

It was a day that would never be forgotten.

It had started innocently enough, with morning classes, the usual harassment from Bulk and Skull and looking forward to lunch. For five students, though, that all changed with a single sentence on the intercom.

"_Billy Cranston, report to the school office immediately."_

In the Chemistry class, Billy frowned, puzzled, then asked, "Mrs. Anderson, may I be excused?"

"Go ahead," she answered, then waited until the young man had left the classroom before continuing the lesson. However, within five minutes, the bell rang, ending the class and beginning lunch.

0000000000

Tommy, Adam and Tanya were walking from Mrs. Applebee's class towards the lunchroom, talking about the next class when they passed by the school's main office and Tommy saw something that caught his eye.

Mr. Caplan, the principal, and Billy were standing in the office, talking. The younger of the two put a hand to his mouth with a stricken expression on his face.

"Hey guys, something's up," he said to the other two, calling them back.

Adam looked into the office and saw the principal shake his head and then clap Billy on the shoulder, who nodded, then walked quickly to the door. The trio quickly got out of the way as he hurried off to the right, towards the direction of both the school entrance and the cafeteria.

"Now I know something's wrong," Adam remarked, frowning with concern.

"We can ask him at lunch," Tanya replied, and the others nodded.

However, when they got to the cafeteria and sat down to eat, the three of them looked around for him in the usual places.

Billy wasn't in any of them.

Rocky and Kat saw them looking around, puzzled, and hurried up to them.

"Hey, what's up?" Rocky asked.

"We were hoping Billy was here," Tanya replied, "We saw saw him talking to Mr. Caplan, and he was really upset."

"Yeah, then he ran this way," Tommy added.

"Well, he didn't come in here," Kat said, then added as she saw someone, "Speak of the devil..."

The other turned also, hoping that it was Billy, then frowned when they saw that not only was it not their friend, the person approaching was the principal himself.

"Mr. Caplan," Tommy asked, "Something we can do to help you?"

"Actually, yes," was the answer, spoken in a grim tone, "I know you saw what happened."

"Only a tiny bit, sir, but we didn't hear anything," he replied, "Why?"

"After that, Billy was seen leaving the school grounds, running."

"Oh, no," Adam said, turning pale.

"Hey, you didn't expel him or anything, did you?" Tanya asked.

"No, of course not! But I relayed something from his family, and it wasn't good. I'm more worried about his mental state."

"We'd better find him."

"That's exactly what I was going to ask you to do, Kat. This will probably take a while, so don't worry about the rest of your classes today. I'll talk to the teachers and explain the situation."

They nodded, thanked him, put their lunch plates away then quickly left the cafeteria. As soon as they found a deserted spot, Katherine asked, "Where would Billy go?"

"Too many places to split up and search for," Tommy replied, "We might have to ask Alpha for help on this."

Almost immediately, the communicators went off.

"The timing today's a bit creepy," Adam remarked.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Tommy replied and spoke into the communicator, "Alpha, Zordon, we were just about to call you. Billy's gone missing, and we gotta find him."

"_Yes, I know," _Zordon replied, _"Billy teleported into the Power Chamber and locked himself into one of the nearby rooms."_

"He what?" Tanya asked.

"That's not good. Something's got him really upset. Zordon, we're on our way. Any chance of breaking into the room?" Adam asked.

"_No need. As soon as you arrive, we'll unlock that door."_

"Alright, thanks," Tommy replied gratefully, and as they teleported out, he tried to remember if anything was said to him that would set their friend off like this.

0000000000

After they arrived in the Power Chamber, Tommy asked, "Okay, where's Billy?" 

"_He's in the laboratory, in the room on the lower right. Alpha, unlock the door."_

"Right away, Zordon," Alpha replied, "Unlocking will finish in about one minute."

"Thanks," Rocky answered and they quickly walked towards the right, with the others behind them. When they got close enough, they heard something that surprised everyone.

_That can't be. Crying?_

At the same time, Tommy remembered something Trini had said about Billy, _You'd be surprised. Bullying aside, there isn't much that would __**really**__ upset him. The one thing I know that would, though, is his..._

There was a soft beep that distracted his thoughts, and Alpha indicated with a hand that the door was unlocked. He nodded and walked in very quietly.

Inside the lab, the other Rangers were relieved that nothing was out of place or destroyed, but the relief was short-lived. Sitting nearby was Billy, his head on the table, sobbing.

_It sounds almost like his soul's torn apart,_ Katherine thought.

"Hey, man," Adam asked, "What's wrong?"

There was no answer.

"Can't have been Bulk and Skull again?"

There was a small but quick shake of the head.

Tommy paled as he remembered the rest of Trini's words on the subject.

"No," he whispered then asked the rest in a quiet tone, "Don't tell me...it's Clairie, isn't it?"

Billy nodded.

"Oh, man, I was afraid of that," their leader said, feeling very sick all of a sudden.

"Clairie? Who's that? His girlfriend?" Rocky asked, which got him a light bop to the head from Katherine.

"No, silly," the Red Zeo Ranger retorted with a scowl.

Billy raised his head and turned around. His voice was soft and pained, and there were tears in his eyes as he explained, "Clara Marie Cranston, or Clairie. She's my little sister. She turned 10 on Sunday, two weeks ago."

"Yeah. She was struck mute 3 years ago thanks to that regional disease," Tommy added.

The Pink Ranger's eyes widened. Along with the tears, she saw pain and despair in Billy's eyes. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer as she asked, "What happened to her?"

"She went catatonic this morning."

"What?" Adam exclaimed.

"Father tried to get her out of bed for school this morning and noticed she wasn't moving," Billy continued, "He took her to the hospital immediately, but there was nothing the doctors could do. Our primary physician suggested that she be put into a hospice immediately, but Father said no."

"Why not?" Tommy asked.

"We've heard horror stories about how those places treat the elderly and terminal children. I know Clairie wouldn't want that. Besides, hospice care's very expensive, and I doubt insurance covers her illness." His voice broke and more tears fell down his face as he said, "In less than a week, my little sister's going to die!"

0000000000

Alpha gasped and hurried, as quietly as he could, back into the main room of the Power Chamber.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!" he said, tone quiet but panicked, "Zordon, it's _exactly_ what we were afraid of! Billy's sister is-"

"_I see. Is it Silent Death?"_

"I'm afraid so."

0000000000

Katherine moved towards the genius and held him tightly as he wept.

Rocky asked, "Just what kind of disease is this?"

"Yeah, we're not originally from around here so I doubt we heard of it," Adam agreed.

Tommy sighed and answered, "I know about it because Kimberly and Trini told me about it. It's Cranston Syndrome."

Billy flinched visibly. "I'm sorry. I can't help but cringe when I hear or say those two words in the same breath. It was named after the survivor of the first outbreak: Clairie. It's also nicknamed Silent Death." His voice was muffled and torn.

"_Rangers," _Zordon spoke, _"Billy, as soon as you are calm enough, I need to speak with all of you."_

0000000000

It was closer to half an hour later before the Rangers walked from the lab into the main room of the Power Chamber. Everyone was silent, and the worried look on Billy's face and his eyes still being very red was out of place to Tommy's mind.

"Zordon," Billy said, "I'm sorry about barging in and locking the door like that."

"_It's all right, Billy. I doubt anyone would blame you for having that reaction. There is something I want you to do, though."_

"W-what is it?"

The next sentence surprised everyone, including Alpha.

"_Tell me everything that you know about Cranston Syndrome."_


	3. Cranston Syndrome

_Chapter 2: Cranston Syndrome_

"Excuse me?" Billy asked.

"_I said, tell me everything about this Cranston Syndrome. Leave nothing out."_

He winced, then replied, "It'll take a little while. Might want to sit down."

The Rangers all found places to sit near Zordon, then Adam motioned for Billy to start.

"This disease...the first outbreak of it was three years ago, in Angel Grove park. A group of elementary school children were there for a yearly picnic. According to Andrea Woods, Clairie's teacher at the time, everyone there heard a loud boom, right at noon. One of the student teachers and some of the children were knocked off their feet immediately after that. The student teacher, by the way, was Catherine Hart, Kimberly's mother."

There was a moment of surprise from Tommy and Kat at that little fact.

"Mrs. Hart found 6 children, all in different conditions. By the end of the day, four were struck mute, but were in stable condition. One became catatonic and another that had been in the same state died within 2 hours. Before the end of the year, there was only one survivor. At that time, the doctors made an official announcement about the incident. They claimed that the kids were caught up in an explosion, but they also said that it was a previously undiscovered disease. They named it after my sister: Cranston Syndrome." He winced as he spoke, "Like I explained to the others, Zordon, I can't help but cringe every time those two words are in the same breath, even from me. It's not a nice feeling."

"Wait a minute," Adam said, "The doctors said there was an explosion they were caught up in. Was there really?"

"No. Mrs. Hart and Mrs. Woods both said there was none, just the loud boom."

"_How many outbreaks have there been of this disease?"_

"Including the first one? Four of them. In the other three, no one survived. From all the data, children between the ages of 6 to 11 have been attacked by it. The reason it's called a regional disease is because only people from Angel Grove and people who moved here long ago have been hit by it. Also, every time an outbreak happens, there's always a loud explosive sound. It's nicknamed 'Silent Death' for a reason. Onset is always becoming suddenly mute. Those that don't die instantly become increasingly fatigued. Sometime later, the kids become catatonic...and within one week after that, they die."

"_Exactly when was the first outbreak? Do you remember what day?"_

"There's no way I'd ever forget. It was two days after we became Power Rangers and first fought Rita. Clairie's birthday was the previous weekend, on Sunday."

"Exactly three years, one week and two days ago," Tommy inserted, voice grim.

Billy's eyes widened. "Yes, it is," he agreed in surprise, "and last week was when you became the Zeo Rangers, and I stepped down, becoming an advisor."

"I don't like the way this is coming together," Adam put in.

"Yeah, this smells like monsters to me," Tommy agreed.

"_That is a possibility,"_ Zordon agreed., _"It might be possible to find out the true cause behind Cran-"_

"CS!" Rocky exclaimed.

"Huh? Come again?" Tanya asked.

"Folks call muscular dystrophy MD and cerebal palsy CP. Calling this disease by its full name all the time's not a good idea," he explained, nodding to Billy, "So how about we call this one CS or Silent Death?"

"I wouldn't mind," he answered with a grateful nod.

"_Very well. It might be possible to find out the true cause of CS."_

"Before you go on, there's something I want to ask you...all of you."

"_I believe I know what it is, Billy."_

He nodded and looked at all of them. The pain and despair from before was very clear in his eyes, but there was something else entering them as well: the sense that he didn't know if he dared to hope.

"I'm not going to ask you this as a former Power Ranger, as an advisor, or any of that. This is only as myself, Billy Cranston," he continued, "Will you please help my sister Clairie?"

There was a pause before Zordon replied, _"Yes. We will do everything we can to try to save her, especially if monsters are involved."_

He nodded and said quietly, "Thank you."

"_This is on two conditions, however."_

"What are they?"

"_Is she a model child and trustworthy?"_

"You're asking if she can keep things a secret."

"_Yes."_

"Yes, she can. Back when Kimberly and I accidentally switched bodies, she told me that Clairie figured out that I...wasn't myself. She also said she wouldn't tell anyone...except for me, of course." He blinked and added, "She can't speak but she can write and we both learned sign language soon after the incident with Gnarly Gnome."

Tommy laughed, "How'd your sister figure that out?"

Billy turned beet red as he replied, "She said that both our typical speech patterns were grossly inaccurate, regardless of our attempts to do otherwise. She also said that Kim walked like a guy and that I walked like a girl."

The others laughed at this, including Alpha.

"Laugh it up," he grumbled, "It's not that funny..."

After a minute to settle down, Zordon continued, _"It's good that Clairie can be trusted with a secret. The medical equipment here is capable of detecting various things that Earth-based one cannot. However, moving most of it to a hospital or to the Cranston residence will be impossible."_

Tanya asked, with wide eyes, "Are you saying we'll have to bring her here? To the Power Chamber?"

"_Yes."_

"What about our identities? It's always been a rule to keep them secret."

"In this case, it's unavoidable. Is that what you're telling us? That's why you asked if Clairie can keep a secret."

"_Yes, Billy. That is exactly what I am saying. The other condition is this: You, as the Power Rangers, will need to get permission from Billy and Clairie's family before bringing her here. As dire as this situation is, I will not condone a kidnapping."_

"Count on it, Zordon, " Tommy replied, "We'll get that permission, then be back here."

0000000000

Before leaving the Command Center, they had all morphed and teleported across the street from Billy's house. Tommy went over the plan again, and at the same time, he thought back to the conversation in the Power Chamber just moments before.

"_Okay, you all know what to do?"_

"_Yeah, we talk to Mr. and Mrs. Cranston and get permission to take Billy's sister with us," Kat replied, "And Billy stays here."_

"_Exactly. You need to get things set up in case we get the green light from your parents." Tommy agreed._

"_It's just my father, actually," Billy corrected, "My mom, Marie Cranston, died in an auto accident a month after Clairie's onset."_

"_Oh...I'm sorry."_

"_That's all right, none of you knew about it. It's not something I discuss much. Oh, if you do get father's permission," Billy asked, "Can you get Cosima?"_

"_Cosima? What's that?" Kat asked._

"_It's a stuffed doll in female jester's clothing and a blue star on its back."_

"_Her favorite, huh? Ok, I'll look for it."_

_He nodded gratefully. "I don't want this thing killing any more children, or causing more like my sister."_

"Everyone ready?" Tanya asked.

"Yeah!"

Tommy nodded and answered, "Then here we go," then rang the doorbell.

_Just pray that his father will listen to us,_ Rocky thought. Before them stood the familiar, eyeglass wearing teacher. However, his normally well-groomed hair was disheveled and his eyes were as red as his son's.

"The Power Rangers? This would normally be a surprise, but I have to admit, you picked a bad time to visit. My daughter's dying and my son's gone missing."

Tommy answered, "Yes, we know. That's what we want to talk to you about. May we come in, sir?"

That very sentence surprised Mr. Cranston, who numbly nodded. The group went inside and sat down in the living room, the Rangers sitting on the couch, while Billy's father sat in a chair in front of them.

"Now, you said you know about what happened. How?"

"The reason that Billy went missing," Katherine replied, "is because he found a way to contact us. We went to meet with him, and he explained everything."

"Everything? Even about Clairie's condition?"

"Yeah," Adam put in, "He asked us for help. We started putting some of the puzzle pieces together about this, and it already looks like monsters are behind it."

"Where is he now?"

"He's at our base, helping with something."

Mr. Cranston nodded and said, "I'm glad Billy's safe. He's got to be taking this pretty hard, he really loves his sister."

"Sir," Tommy said, "Another part of why we came here is because we want to do everything we can to save Clairie, and for that, we need your help, and your permission."

"Of course I'll help. I don't want my daughter to die either." He paused, then asked, "Permission for what?"

"The equipment at our base is pretty hi-tech, but it also can't be moved," the Red Ranger replied, "if it were possible, we would-"

He caught on quickly. "You're asking permission to take her with you."

"Yeah," was the quiet answer.

"I take it there's little to no chance on me going with her?"

"You'd be right," Tanya replied, "Sorry."

"But Billy's gonna be there with her," Rocky reassured, "and we'll keep you posted on her condition."

Mr. Cranston thought for a moment, then asked, "You're sure taking her's the only way?"

"Positive."

He sighed, then nodded. "All right. She's in her room."

Tommy replied, "Thanks. Pink, could you-"

"Sure," was the answer as Kat got up.

"Her room's upstairs, first door on the left, across from Billy's." Mr. Cranston thought, then added, "Diary..."

"Hm?"

"Clairie always writes in two diaries, pink for good days, blue for bad. I might be grasping at straws, but maybe you'll find some more clues in both of them. I know she wrote in the blue one the day that this first happened to her. They're in the top dresser drawer. Blue diary's underneath a picture of Billy."

"You heard him," Tommy added to Kat, then said to Billy's father, "Thanks a lot, sir. We'll need all the clues we can get to save her, and maybe solve the mystery behind Cranston Syndrome."

Kat nodded and quickly went upstairs, following the directions to reach her room. She first opened the drawer that he mentioned and found the pink diary on the top and the blue one underneath a picture of Billy, sitting outside with a warm, gentle smile and a little girl in his lap.

She turned and found the little girl from the picture on the bed. She was wearing a green nightgown, and her shoulder-length hair, the same color as Billy's, was a bit disheveled. The only parts of her that were moving was her chest when breathing and her eyes that blinked normally.

"Hey," she said quietly, "I dunno if you can hear me or not, but don't be scared. I'm going to take you to your brother."

As she walked to the bed and started to bend, she saw the point of what looked like a blue cloth star.

"Is that...?"

She moved the blanket and uncovered a stuffed doll, made of cloth, in silver jester clothes that felt like silk.

_It is!_

She took the doll and put it and the diaries on the child's chest, and then gently picked her up, then slowly went downstairs.

In the living room, Mr. Cranston was on the phone with someone.

"Yes. Billy's going to be staying home for a few days. I'm just glad he was found when he was. All right, I'll let you know. Goodbye." he hung up then said to Kat, "That was Mr. Caplan I was talking to. Everything's set up where Billy's concerned at school, so can you let him know when you see him?"

"Count on it," Tommy answered, "Thanks a lot, Mr. Cranston."

"You're welcome." He looked at Katherine and smiled. "Looks like Billy mentioned Cosima. It's her favorite doll. He got it for her birthday last year."

"Yes, he made sure I knew what she looked like."

"That sounds just like him. Oh, also, I made arrangements to pick up his daily homework. Just come by about one hour after school ends and I'll give them to you."

"We will," Tanya agreed, "I think he'd really appreciate that."

The communicators went off. Before anything could be said, Tommy said, "Time to go. Best to teleport from here, if that's ok."

"Agreed, you'd probably make a scene otherwise. Keep me informed about my son and daughter, all right?"

"Sure thing."

"Good luck."

With that, the Rangers teleported out with the child.

0000000000

When Tommy and the others arrived in the Power Chamber, both Alpha and Billy were near the center of the main room, waiting.

"Looks like you got my father's permission," he stated, although there was a questioning tone to it.

"Yeah, we did. He also pointed out a couple of things that might give us some clues," Tommy answered and walked over to Katherine, taking the two books and handing them to Billy.

The young man took the items, then said in a alarmed tone, "These are Clairie's diaries!"

Adam saw the expression on Billy's face and replied, "Yeah, I know how you feel, but this is no time to be a gentleman."

"I'm sorry. You're right, father would not have suggested taking them without a good reason. Did he suggest which one to start with?"

"Yeah, the blue one, the day this thing hit her."

"_Rangers, we must get started right away,"_ Zordon cut in, _"Katherine and Alpha, go to the medical bay and begin preliminary examinations on Clairie. Also get the intravenous ready."_

"Right away, Zordon!" Alpha answered, "The medical bay is this way!" He then walked to the door in the northwest, with Kat behind him.

Billy made a face, then sat down on the floor.

"_Is something the matter?"_

"I suppose this is one time I should be grateful that she's...like this," he answered, "Clairie has trypanophobia."

"She's got what?" Adam asked.

"_That means she's afraid of needles."_

"Yes, exactly," Billy replied, giving Zordon a grateful nod. He then opened the blue diary and started to go through the entries, looking for a date that he knew by heart.

0000000000

Katherine entered the medical bay and went to the examining bed that Alpha had waved at. It looked like a large, rectangular slab of metal, but at one end it had a pillow, and on the wall nearby was a a cabinet and a table. Near the middle of the bed was a piece of metal, full of screens, knobs and switches that went from one end to the other in a high arc. On the other side of the bed was equipment that the Pink Ranger recognized was used for IVs. To the right of that was another table that was Alpha's height. On that table was a console and control panel.

"Looks like you really were busy while we were at his house," she remarked.

"Yes. We all guessed that Billy's father would give his permission. All right, put her down gently."

She complied, making sure that the child was comfortable.

"You'll have to take the doll off of the bed while I start the examination," he added, sounding regretful.

"Oh. I forgot," she replied and picked up the jester doll, then put it on the nearby table and stood back.

"Activating scanners," he continued, "Recording equipment is turned on. Katherine, activate the intercom system for the main room."

"Got it," she answered and went to the intercom on the wall and did precisely that.

"Zordon, we're ready to begin."

"_Good. Begin by running a general scan, then check her brain for activity. We need to confirm the catatonic state."_

"Right away," the automaton agreed and began tapping at the controls. As he did so, the metal arc began slowly moving upwards from the center of the bed towards Clairie's head, humming as it went. Once it was over the top of her head, the device stopped moving, but continued to emit a low level hum.

After a moment, Alpha jerked backwards, his usual way of showing that he was shocked. "This can't be right," he said, "I'll run it again." He tapped at the controls and waited another moment, while the brain scan was done a second time.

"Ai yi yi! Zordon! You're not going to believe this!"


	4. MTS System

_Chapter 3: MTS System_

_A.N.: From here on, dialogue in italics is Zordon's, while italics and bold is Clairie's._

"Ai yi yi! Zordon! You're not going to believe this!"

"_What is it, Alpha?"_

"I had to run the brain activity scan twice. These activity readings not what we expected at all."

"_What do you mean?"_

"According to the scans, Clairie is not suffering from catatonia at all. In fact, she hears and is processing everything normally."

Billy's voice, sounding a little relieved, came over the intercom. _"Then that means...Alpha, did the general scan detect paralysis?"_

"Yes, it did. Over 90% of her body is unable to move on its own."

"_An illness that mimics a catatonic state well enough to fool the doctors while it kills the patient...this is sounding less like a disease and more like a monster attack."_

"I'd better start the IV right away."

Alarms suddenly went off in the medical bay.

"Ai, yi, yi, yi yi! Clairie's heartbeat, respiration and blood pressure are raising, and so is the brain activity. The levels are-"

"_It's a panic attack,"_ Billy said. There was the sound of something dropping to the floor, then fast footsteps. A couple of seconds later, he ran into the medical bay, stopping right beside Kat.

"Clairie!" he called out as he took her hand in his own, "It's me, Billy." He leaned over so that he was certain that his little sister could see him. As he did so, he saw that the automaton had the IV tube and needle in one hand.

"Alpha, put that down for now and get a topical anesthetic. I need to calm her down first."

"Zordon?"

"_Do what he says. It seems that she has a stronger terror of needles than I thought."_

He capped the exposed needle and put the tube on the console. As he went to get the item requested, Billy quietly talked to her. Kat watched, amazed, as the attack slowly subsided and the alarms ceased.

"You've done this a lot," she merely said.

"Yeah. She's had a lot of blood tests and other such examinations done on her after o...after this happened to her." He sighed, then said, "She'll need..._that_...but we'll need to find a way to communicate with her, so that I can keep her calmer while it's going on. With her body paralyzed, it won't be easy."

Right then, Alpha came back and heard the statement. "There is a way it could be done."

"What do you mean?"

"How about using the MTS?"

He blinked for a moment, then his face brightened. "Of course! I'm a bit ashamed, I should have thought of that."

"What's an MTS?" Kat asked.

"It stands for Mind-to-Speech telecommunications system," Billy explained.

The Pink Ranger looked puzzled.

"Zordon uses that very system to speak with me and you Rangers from the energy tube, with his body being in the time warp," Alpha explained, "It basically takes brain activity associated with conscious thoughts, then changes it to actual spoken words."

"_That is an excellent idea,"_ Zordon said, _"But in order for both her and I to use the system, a separate profile will need to be set up for your sister, Billy. Work with Alpha and use my profile as a template."_

"Right away," Billy said, let go of his sister's hand, then whispered, "I'll be right back," before walking over to Alpha and the console.

0000000000

Tommy picked up the blue diary that Billy had dropped when he went in to calm down his sister and started looking through the pages.

"Billy, the day of the first incident...that was August 30th, right?"

"_Yes,"_ was the reply.

"I think I found it."

"_The entry about the first 'outbreak'?"_

"Yeah, that's the one." He paused for a moment, then said, "I'll read out loud only the entries that may have anything to do with this situation. I don't feel too comfortable reading someone's diaries, either."

"_Yeah, I think she'd appreciate that."_

_August 30, 1993_

_My name is Clara Marie Cranston. At the time that I'm writing this, I turned 7 last weekend. If someone other than me is reading this diary, it means that the worst has happened, and I'm dying or dead. If that's the case, please get this to the Power Rangers._

_I was at Angel Grove park earlier today with my class and two others for the yearly picnic. I was playing hide-n-seek with my friends, but I had to be the seeker...again. You see, I'm too good at hiding, so they won't play with me unless I'm a seeker. I had found everyone and we were going to go eat when **it** happened._

_The nice breeze went away, and after that, there was a big, loud BOOM! We got knocked off our feet, but at the same time, my whole right arm started to burn, and then really hurt. It hurt so bad that I wanted to just scream. That's when Mrs. Hart asked me if I was okay and I realized I'd never be okay again._

_My voice is all gone. I can't speak anymore, but that's not the end of it. Within moments, I started hearing a voice in my head, a very nasty one. It wanted me to do something called sur-render. I knew my friends were in as bad or worse shape than me, so that's when I started fighting it. The nasty voice said that I'd die no matter what, so I could make it easy or hard. You can guess what I picked._

_Who knows? Maybe if I fight hard enough and long enough, the voice'll get bored and go away...or someone can help save me._

_I don't wanna die. Someone, help me._

"_Now I'm certain that this is no disease we're dealing with,"_ Billy said, anger underscoring his tone.

"Yeah, but now we know why your sister's still alive," Rocky added, "She's been fighting all this time. That's one tough kid."

Zordon said, _"The question is, why is it we never detected these attacks, much less the monster?_"

Right then, Billy was standing in the doorway.

"It's happened before, Zordon. Remember that Genie that didn't show up until after it was out of the lamp?"

"_That is very true."_

"The profiling for Clairie is completed. All that's left is to confirm the specifications in comparison to Zordon's, then activate it."

"Uh, in English, please?" Adam asked.

"In other words, make sure there are no mistakes, then start it up," Tommy quickly translated.

"Affirmative."

_Man, he's got to be really upset to start talking like that again._

"Let's take a look," he suggested and got up, holding the diary, then went into the medical bay, with the others right behind him.

Billy gestured to the console where he and Alpha had been working.

"On the right side of the screen is Zordon's profile, and on the left is Clairie's."

Tommy started reading the information on the screen.

_Profile: Zordon_

_Name: Zordon fa Andel la Zeo_

_Age: (unavailable)_

_Species: Eltarei_

_Homeword: Eltar_

_Physical circumstances: Body locked in a time warp. Communications from Energy Tube._

_Profile: Clairie_

_Name: Clara Marie Cranston_

_Age: 10_

_Species: Human_

_Homeworld: Earth_

_Physical circumstances: Mute and paralyzed due to monster attack. Communications from Medical Bed 2._

"I made sure to transfer the examination records to her profile, at Alpha's suggestion. Now all that's left is to run an accuracy comparison test, and if all goes well, we can activate it."

"_Start the test,"_ Zordon commanded.

"How come Zordon's age was listed as unavailable?" Kat asked.

"His age is on record, but it's under a privacy lock. If you've lived as long as he has, wouldn't you be a bit self-conscious about disclosing it?" Billy replied.

"Yeah, good point," Tommy agreed.

There was silence for a long moment, then Alpha said, "Test is completed. Accuracy comparison between Zordon and Clairie's profiles is 100%."

Billy let out a breath of relief, then said, "Ok, here goes. Activate it."

The sentient robot then pressed a couple of buttons.

"How long will it take to start translating to speech?" Rocky asked.

"_**Hmm, what am I gonna say when it starts? How about, 'Is this thing on?'"**_

Billy turned around sharply when he heard a familiar little girl's voice over the speaker.

"Clairie?" he asked, barely breathing.

"_**Uh-huh. It's me, big brother."**_

"It works," Katherine said with a little smile, "Now Alpha can see about the I-"

"_**No! I heard that! I hate needles!"**_

"I know," Billy replied, "And I hate to even put you through that, but you can't even eat or drink right now."

"_**It's not for putting in more ink and getting blood?"**_

"No. It's only so that you won't get thirsty or starve."

There was a little whimper, then a low, _**"They always hurt."**_

Alpha spoke up at that, "We'll just have to make sure this one _doesn't_ hurt. Right, Billy?"

"Right! Alpha, use that anesthetic I mentioned, then wait for a few minutes before you insert it."

"I know _just_ the one to use! I'll put this one back and then go and get it."

"Thanks," he answered with a grateful nod. Within moments, Alpha returned with a second item and used a pad to apply it to the inside of her elbow.

"_**You know what's really nice?"**_

"What's that?"

"_**My favorite big brother's working with the Power Rangers!"**_

Billy blinked and as Kat laughed.

"_Clairie,"_ Zordon cut in, _"You've seen some of us, and as I explained to the Rangers, revealing ourselves is unavoidable."_

"_**Don't worry, I won't tell. Billy knows I'm a real good secret-keeper! If you want me to swear to it, I will. Oh and look at the front of the blue diary."**_

Tommy put a piece of paper at the entry he had stopped on, then looked at the cover. He shook his head and smiled, then showed the others.

On the front was a couple of stickers...and both were of the Blue Ranger.

Adam chuckled and said, "Pretty smart for a 10 year old."

"Of course. She _is_ my sister, after all," Billy answered with pride in his voice and a little smile as he took the diary from Tommy.

"_Indeed,"_ Zordon agreed, _"Clairie, repeat after me: I swear upon the forces of goodness..."_

"_**I swear upon the forces of goodness..."**_

"_To maintain this secret..."_

"_**To maintain this secret..."**_

"_Of the true identities of the Power Rangers."_

"_**Of the true identities of the Power Rangers."**_

"_Thank you, Clairie."_

"_**No problem."**_

With that, the Rangers de-morphed, relieved looks on their faces.

"Clairie, I'm going to check to see if the anesthetic's taken effect, okay?"

"_**Okay, big brother."**_

He then walked over to her and pinched the inside of her elbow, where Alpha had applied the medicine.

"Feel anything?"

"_**No."**_

He gave a harder pinch.

"How about that?"

"_**No, nothing."  
**_

"It looks like it worked better than I had expected. Excellent choice, Alpha." He silently nodded so that she wouldn't panic. The automaton picked up the IV, uncapped it, then inserted it.

"_**Just tell me when you're gonna do it, ok?"**_

"It's already done, Clairie."

"_**Really? I didn't feel a thing! Hey, any chance you got lots of that stuff?"**_

"I can't let any of this out of the Power Chamber. Sorry," Alpha replied with some regret.

"_**Aww!"**_

Billy shook his head and chuckled. "This is going to wreak havoc on my schoolwork."

"No it won't," Tommy replied, "Your dad made arrangements with the school and us. 1 hour after school ends, one of us will pick up the homework and bring it here."

"Thanks, I appreciate that."

"In a couple of hours, it's gonna be dinner time," Tommy said, "Today's Friday, so we won't have to worry about school tomorrow. Kat, you and I'll go get food for everyone, then be back here. Better get your orders ready."

Katherine nodded. "While we're out, I'll make the usual calls."

"_**Guacamole cheeseburgers. That or anchovy spaghetti."**_

"Huh?" Kat asked. _There's no way she'd be trying to get food for herself..._

"_**Billy's favorites. He eats the second one when he's really upset. I think Ernie's makes that stuff."**_

That caught him off guard. "C-Clairie! You didn't need to tell them that!"

"Aww, little sister lookin' out for big brother?" Rocky teased.

"S-shut up," he replied, blushing, although the comment was without any real heat.

Tommy shook his head and smiled as the others immediately gave their food orders as well as money to get them with. He noticed that Billy didn't answer or move from his spot.

_Starts out like an ordinary day, end with a mission. Status quo for us Power Rangers,_ he thought, _but this time, we're fighting to save Billy's little sister._


	5. For Me

_Chapter 4: For Me_

_A.N.: The Eltaran lullaby is in this chapter (most of it). Since I'd get in trouble for posting it on , if anyone wants to see it (as well as Cosima to English translation), let me know in a review and I'll send it by e-mail. Add if you want it in DOC or ODT!_

While Tommy and Kat were getting the food orders and putting in what they referred to as "the usual calls", Billy was checking the pink diary for any clues, while Tanya looked through the blue one. Adam had gone to the Cranston residence to get his weekend homework and the books that had been left at the school. Rocky went with him.

_I honestly have no concept of what I've done to deserve friends like these,_ the Ranger's advisor thought wryly as he watched all that went on, including Clairie taking a nap with Cosima right near her, _Not only are they doing everything they can to try to save my sister, they're also going out of their way to help me, too._ He smiled slightly, shook his head and started back into the pink diary. One entry caught his eye.

_October 1, 1993_

_It's been a real good day!_

_On September 11th, Billy signed us both up for what he called a special kind of class, one that'll let me be able to talk to him and everyone else, even though I can't speak anymore. It's called sign language. We both caught on real good in classes, and today, I used it in school for classes for the first time. The teachers were real happy, too._

_Even better, that nasty voice in my head hasn't said anything for the past couple of days. I don't know how long it'll last, but it's nice not to hear it telling me to sur-render._

_Since it's so nasty, I'm gonna call it a demon from now on._

"Billy," Tanya said, "Did you know your sister's being bullied after school?"

"Ever since this first happened to her, she's always being bullied," he replied, "For a long time, it was the kids in her school that did that. It stopped when a couple of the bullies lost siblings to the same condition. Why?"

"There are two that haven't stopped. In fact, they've stepped it up. I lost the place that you were last at, and I found an entry from last week."

He stiffened and said, an edge appearing in his voice, "Read it to me."

_April 15, 1996_

_Even though the school bullies stopped picking on me long ago, there's a pair of high school kids that keep doing it. Thing is, they now only do it when not wearing blue clothes. I usually run into them near the Youth Center, the school crossing or at the park. I never got their real names, but I think I know now what they call each other._

_One of them is real big and fat, and the other one's skinny. I've been calling them Tweedledee and Tweededum, and now that I know what they call each other, I wish I could still use that. You see, one's named Bulk and the other's named Skull._

_I know that I'm supposed to ignore them when they say stuff like "mutie" or "geek and freak", but they've also done stuff like take my sign language book and rip it up, or get my homework dirty, so that I have to get it done again. But one of the more recent ones really hurts. Bulk said that he hopes another loud boom (yeah, **that** loud boom) goes off so that I'll wind up like everyone else._

The look on Billy's face changed as Tanya read the entry. At first it was surprise, then shock. Now, his eyes were fiery with anger.

"Bulk and Skull? Why didn't she tell me about this?"

"She sounds like the kind of kid sister that didn't want to worry her big brother," she replied, "It even says here, 'Billy's got a lot to worry about without me telling him about this. Besides, I'm a big girl, I'm supposed to handle things myself.'"

"That sounds like her, but..." He sighed and added, anger seeping into his tone, "For her sake, I hope I don't run into those two for a while. Tanya, let's switch diaries."

"Alright."

Almost immediately, he found an entry.

_October 31, 1993_

_The demon started talking again. It was while dad and I went trick-or-treating. Billy was at a party in the Youth Center, dressed up as Sherlock Holmes. It's one of his favorite storybook characters, you know._

_Anyway, about the demon. Instead of just ignoring and fighting the voice, I chose to get facts out of it. Who knows? If this is in the hands of the Power Rangers, maybe they can stop it from killing more kids._

_Anyway, I did find out that the first two kids from my group that died really did have their minds wrecked. I asked it just what it wanted from me. I didn't expect an answer, but I got one. I really don't understand what it said so I'll write them down here._

_The demon said it takes something called life energy and essence. When the kid sur-renders or just can't fight anymore, it'll take something else, too. Now this is what I'm confused about. What does signatures have to do with power?_

Zordon was listening to the entries as they were read aloud over the intercom system. When he heard the last part, there was only one thing he knew of.

"_Billy, you're certain she said that?"_ he asked, alarm evident in his voice, _"Repeat the last sentence."_

He nodded and said, "'What does signatures have to do with power?'" The young genius thought for a moment, then said, "The only thing I could think of it to mean would...be..." His eyes widened and he turned pale. _No...for once, tell me I'm wrong!_

"_Exactly. The last part refers to power signatures. This is much worse than I thought."_

"What's much worse, Zordon?" Tanya asked.

_Before I answer, we will wait for the others to return and for all of you to eat."_

Right then, Adam and Rocky teleported in, carrying not only schoolbooks, but also a stack of papers. They then walked into the medical bay.

"We're back. Man, if I had a ton of this kind of homework, I'd explode," Rocky said, shaking his head.

"Yeah well, you could do with more of it then," Adam replied.

"Hey!"

Right then, Kat and Tommy teleported in as well, carrying different containers.

"That smells _good_!" Rocky remarked.

"Okay guys, where should we eat?" Tommy asked.

"If Alpha and Zordon wouldn't mind," Billy said, "I'll grab some blankets and set them up in the middle of the main room. I'm seeing about converting one of the storage rooms into a break room, but it's not completed yet."

"Why not eat in the medical bay?"

Billy scowled at him. "Besides the chances being high of the machinery getting food or drink into the circuits? Also, I'm not cruel."

"Cruel?"

Tommy shook his head and scowled. "Yeah, eating in front of his sister isn't exactly too smart."

A scream came over the speakers. Billy's eyes widened, then he ran into the medical bay, Alpha hot on his heels.

"Clairie!"

He went to the medical bed where his sister was laying. He could hear some kind of growling voice, low and evil.

"You!" he hissed, "You've got to be the 'demon' my sister wrote about. Zordon!"

"_I hear it. Alpha?"_

"From these readings, it's as though she's having a very bad nightmare, and the monster's taking advantage of it by draining-"

Billy thought quickly, shaking her as he said, "Clairie! Clairie, wake up!"

It didn't take long for the little girl's eyes to open. Even though they were filled with terror, he was relieved that they were open at all.

"_**B-Billy? How come you look so upset?"**_

He let out a sigh of relief, then sat on the medical bed. He set her upright, then hugged her fiercely.

"_**Was it the demon again?"**_

"Y-yeah," he replied, "Does it do that to you often?"

"_**Make nightmares? Not all the time, but yeah."**_

"Tell me," he whispered, "Tell me."

"_**It was real bad. The demon made some little demons and put one of them into you and the Rangers. Your eyes turned red, and while the others were holding me down, you were getting knives and scalpels and—and..."**_

He shuddered at the thought and tightened his embrace, running a hand through her hair. "I will _never_ do something like that to you, and neither will the others. We're not going to let this monster win," he replied.

"_**Not without a good fight, huh? Hee hee, I knew you'd say that."**_

Tommy and the others looked in from the entrance of the medical bay, mentally breathing a sigh of relief that the little girl was awake.

"Look at them," Kat said in a low voice, "I've seen brothers and sisters fight like cats and dogs, but I've never seen any as close as these two."

"Yeah," Tommy agreed, "Makes me feel like we could learn a lot from those two."

"I've got a little sister that's a holy terror," Adam said with a nod, "But I wouldn't wish this monster on even her."

After Billy made sure that Clairie was comfortable, he went into one of the adjoining storage rooms and got four blankets, then as he started to leave the medical wing, he saw the others watching.

"Sorry," he said quietly, "I've got the blankets. We should eat before the food gets cold. We can talk afterwards."

"That's fine. We even got you some anchovy spaghetti and your favorite soda," Kat replied.

Billy started to get his wallet, but Tommy shook his head. "Don't worry about that, bro. This's on me."

0000000000

After the six friends ate, all eyes (figurative and literal) shifted to Billy.

"Okay," Tanya said, "We found some more clues in the blue diary about this monster, and it's not good."

"That's an understatement," Billy agreed, "This monster apparently operates by draining the victim's life energy and essence. In the first monster attack, two of Clairie's playmates actually _did_ succumb to catatonia, and from what else I remember from the cases, two others did as well."

"That explains why the doctors were fooled," Kat inserted.

"Yes, and that's not all. Apparently, before killing the victim, this monster also steals his or her power signature."

"Power signature? What's that?" Adam asked.

"Even I'm not fully certain," Billy admitted, "I saw references to it in the database."

Zordon answered, _"When beings are selected to become Power Rangers, skills and moral upbringing are only two of the criteria we judge by. There is a third, and equally important quality that we look for: a power signature. Not everyone has it."_

"I'm not liking the sound of this one bit," Tommy remarked.

"Neither am I," Billy said darkly, "if I understand this correctly, this monster is targeting and killing any children that may become Power Rangers in the future."

"_Unfortunately, that is exactly what it means."_

"You know what it also means?" Katherine asked.

"What?"

"Billy, if and when we beat this thing and save your sister, she's very likely to become a Power Ranger herself down the road."

"_That is a very distinct possibility. However, we must first focus on finding more information and a way to save her life."_

"Yeah, I agree," Tommy replied.

"_Billy, Alpha, run a scan on Clairie. Look for any foreign matter."_

"Right away," the young man agreed and got up, taking his covered drink with him.

"The scan will most likely take all night, Rangers," Alpha said, "So it would be best for all of you to rest."

"As well as any of us can, anyway," Adam replied.

0000000000

"_**Billy?"**_

"Yes?" He asked as he and Alpha configured the medical bed to begin the scan that Zordon had ordered. Configuring for the scan would take an hour, since they would be looking for anything ranging from spells, mental tampering or even parasites. That hour was almost up.

Her voice, even on the speakers, sounded sad. _**"If...or when I die, are you going to still stop the demon?"**_

He stiffened at the question. Before he could say anything, Alpha beat him to it.

"Don't talk like that, Clairie. We're not going to let that happen."

"_**I need to know. Are you going to stop it even if I die?"**_

Her brother took a shuddering breath, then answered, though his voice held a small tremor. "Of course we will. We're not going to give up, so don't you _dare_ think of doing so, either. I am—we are _not_ going to let you die."

"_**I'm scared."**_

"I know, sweetie. I'm scared, too, more than I care to admit to anyone."

"_**Hey...big brother? It's close to bedtime, isn't it?"**_

"For you, yeah."

"_**I don't know if I can sleep. I mean, you're here with me, and so are the Rangers, but I'm really scared."**_ There was a pause, then she asked, **_"Can you do me a favor?"_**

"Anything."

"_**That foreign song...the one you learned a couple of years ago...did you learn it here?"**_

"Yes, I did. Why?"

0000000000

Tommy and Kat were working on homework when they heard something very unusual.

"Music?" he asked, "I didn't think this place had any music."

"It's pretty, I can hear reed instruments, and...almost like bells," she replied.

"Let's go check it out. Sounds like it's coming from the main room."

The two walked out of Tommy's temporary quarters and down the corridor, into the main room. That's when they heard a voice begin singing.

"_Na fe so'la,cru tei'ma..."_

"A tenor," Kat asked, "Is that you, Zordon?"

"_No."_

"_Fa'le Tol Na, Chai'luma..."_

"Where's it coming from?" Tommy asked in a lower voice.

"Whoa," Tanya asked as she and Rocky came into the main room, "Who's singing?"

"_Ki'rei fa cosim, Sa'li te..."_

"Whoever it is, he's good," Adam remarked as he joined the others.

"_Qa cru fa'lei, fa'do'ma so'la..."_

"Just what is this tune?" Tommy asked.

Zordon replied in a lower voice, _"It's a traditional Eltaran night song."_

"I think it's coming from the medical bay," Tanya said as she walked quietly. The others followed suit, both curious as well as not wanting to interrupt whoever it was.

As they approached the threshold into the medical bay, Tommy's eyes widened. What he saw before him made him barely able to breathe.

Inside, Billy was standing beside Clairie's bed, holding one of her hands in both of his and staring directly at her.

"_Fa'le tol na, wam veinte awaki...Tol na tei'ma, chai'estei..."_

It was then that they realized the truth: the one singing the "night song" was none other than Billy himself. His voice was gentle and warm, though soft and sad. The expression on his face was one of love, and to Tanya, it seemed as though he were trying to transmit to his sister a stronger will to live.

"_Ki'rei fa cosim, Sa'li te, Qa cru fa'lei, fa'do'ma almai..."_

None of them spoke up or made their presence known, each feeling that they didn't dare.

"_Fa'lei a Fa'le, Sola a Luma, Chai'estei recre pa ii, Sa Liefe cicla, conta pa Eterne..."_

It wasn't until after there was soft, little snores in the room when Billy stopped singing, let go of her hand, then put Cosima against her head. "Good night, Clairie." He turned towards the entrance and saw that everyone was in the doorway.

"Uh...ah..." he tried to think of a way to explain as he turned beet red.

"Billy," Tommy said, "Even after all this time, you're still full of surprises."

"Dude," Rocky said, "How come you never joined the school choir?"

"Science and technology is more my specialty. I'm actually not that good at singing."

"Not that good—there's a little girl in there that'd beg to differ," Kat replied, "and so do we."

"When did you learn that song?" Tanya asked.

"A couple of years ago. Zordon gave me permission to learn it as long as it was only for Clairie." he wanted to change the subject quickly, so he added, "I believe I have homework to do. I wanted to stay in the medical bay instead of my quarters, but he was set against it."

"Think of it as being across the hall, just like at your house," Kat suggested, "Besides, I have a funny feeling he will be keeping a closer eye on her than we think."

"Knowing him, he probably will," was the answer as he smiled wryly. "All right, let's get going. I know a good spot in the Power Chamber we can use to study..."


	6. First Steps

_Author's Notes: Sorry this is late! Between getting sick, my graphics card biting the dust, 2 crazy weeks online and at work and beta-reading an Ar Tonelico fanfic for someone, I haven't had time to post this! I'm glad to see that folks are really liking this story and "Family"! Just to let you know, after this fic is completed, the next in the AU is "Letters"._

_Chapter 5: The First Step_

The next morning, Alpha left the maintenance alcove and hurried over to to the medical bay, hearing a set of beeps that told him the examination had just completed. As he walked into the room, the lights turned on.

"Hmm, now let's see what the results say," he said to himself as he walked to the console and brought up the test results. "It'd be nice if we knew just what we're dealing wi-" What the little automaton saw made him jerk back a little bit.

_I ought to keep my vocal circuits deactivated sometimes!_

Alpha quickly went into the main room of the Power Chamber, glad to see that Zordon was already awake and visible in the energy tube.

"Zordon, the examination from last night is completed. I left the results up so you could access them."

"_Good."_ After a pause, the sage frowned. _"It's just as I suspected. Alpha, start tracking the locations of what will be needed to counteract this. I'll awaken the Rangers."_

Within seconds, an alarm rang throughout the Power Chamber, the same kind that was used whenever monsters were detected, although the pattern to it was two long beats, followed by a short one. Before now, it had never been used.

The first one awake was Billy, who recognized the pattern from his study of the database before the Command Center had been destroyed. He quickly changed clothes, putting his glasses on as he walked out of his assigned quarters. Down the hall, Tommy and Kat were walking out of their own rooms

"What's going on?" Kat asked, "An attack?"

"No," Billy replied, "That alarm's basically a summons. Alpha must have found something. Come on."

The three hurried down the hall, with Rocky, Adam and Tanya close behind them. As soon as they arrived, they saw Alpha and Zordon in the main room.

"Morning, Zordon, Alpha," Tanya said.

"_Good morning, Rangers,"_ Zordon replied, _"The examination on Clairie finished a few minutes ago and Alpha has shown me the results."_

"Was the test positive?"

"_Yes, Billy, it was. According to the results, the 'demon', as she refers to it, is a parasitic monster. The entry point was her right arm."_

Tommy looked at Billy and saw his eyes narrow and his jaw set. There was no question, the young technician was angry. The Red Zeo Ranger clapped his shoulder reassuringly.

"_It seems that the monster inside of Clairie is a spawn of the original, draining life energy and essence, as we discovered yesterday. It will also steal the victim's power signature, then transmit to the original monster."_

"And if it transmits, there's no chance of getting the stolen things back. If it succeeds," Billy inserted, "Clairie will die."

"_Yes. Alpha has been searching for the location of two things that will be needed in order to save your sister. We will need vials of Extraction Fluid, as well as Essence Prisms."_

"Extraction fluid? Essence Prisms?" Rocky asked, puzzled.

"If I'm guessing correctly, the first object is fluid needed to extract the parasite from Clairie's body." Billy replied.

"_Yes."_

Tommy asked, "Zordon, how come we can't take Clairie to somewhere that can purify her?"

"_After the latest attack last night, her condition worsened. Currently, 85% of her energy and essence have been stolen by the parasite. Moving her now would result in disaster."_

"I've located both the Extraction Fluid and the Essence Prisms," Alpha spoke up," The Prisms are located on an mountainous island on planet Aquitar, and the Fluid is on planet Valle."

"_Alpha, send a transmission to the Rangers of Aquitar about the situation,"_ Zordon ordered, _"Rangers, go to Aquitar and secure two prisms. Make sure they are in perfect condition."_

"Got it," Tommy replied.

"_Billy, shortly you will be going to Valle. When you arrive , ask to see a being known as the Phoenix. You will have on your person a message from me, explaining the situation."_

He looked in the direction of the medical bay with a worried look.

"_This is the best way for you to help your sister at the moment. Alpha and I will look after her."_

"All right, then."

"Zordon, we're receiving a transmission from Aquitar. It's Cestro," Alpha spoke up.

"_Put it on the viewing globe."_

The globe lit up within seconds, showing a very familiar face.

"_Rangers, it is good to hear from you, though we did not expect it to be so soon."_

"Good to see you too, but I wish it was under better circumstances," Tommy agreed.

"_We have received the information from Alpha 5. A monster that kills children, much less future Power Rangers, is an abomination. We will help you in any way we can to put a stop to this."_

"Thanks, Cestro, it means a lot to me," Billy replied, "I'm going to Valle to get Extraction Fluid, but the others will be there soon."

"_Give our regards to Phoenix Llyra. Aquitar out."_

After the viewing globe went dark, Tommy said, "We'd better hurry. We're running out of time."

"If the Machine Empire starts getting any ideas, we'll inform you immediately. Good luck," Billy said to them, then watched as they teleported out.

"_I will begin recording the message immediately."_

Billy nodded and quickly walked into the medical bay, standing in the doorway.

"Clairie, are you awake?"

"_**Yeah."**_

"I'm going to go get some medicine for you. Be a good girl for Zordon and Alpha, all right?"

"_**Okay."**_

The young man waited for a few minutes, then walked back into the main room of the Power Chamber.

"_Are you ready?"_

"Affirmative."

"Good luck," Alpha said as he worked the controls, changing the coordinates from Aquitar to Valle. He then took a silver disc out of one of the panels and gave it to the young man."This is the message."

"Thanks."

"_The Phoenix is my counterpart on Valle, as well as the planet's sovereign. Make sure that you act accordingly."_

"I will."

As Billy teleported out, Zordon said, _"May the Power protect them all."_

"_**Umm, you two?"**_

"_Yes?"_

"_**You seem like a daddy to the Rangers and Billy."**_

"_I suppose I **have** come to regard them in that way,"_ Zordon replied in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, they're almost like big brothers and sisters to me after all this time," Alpha agreed.

"_**Hee hee. I know that feeling."**_

_This is going to be interesting, _Zordon thought. He said out loud, _"Clairie, did the monster ever mention anything that might reveal who created it?"_

"_**Yeah, actually, it did a couple of times. Never heard anything like it before."**_

"_Who was it?"_

0000000000

The Rangers arrived on what looked to be, at first glance, a white sand beach. The wind blew around them with a slight chill. In front of them were palm trees (or the closest equivalent) that swayed gently, and beyond that, they could see a mountain that glittered in the sunlight. With the sounds of the ocean waves crashing behind them, they faintly heard the _whoosh_ of teleporting. Five very familiar beings stood in front of the Rangers of Earth.

After the customary salutes between both groups, Cestro said, "According to what Alpha sent, you will need two Prisms. One is for taking the stolen items from the parasite's body, and the other is to filter out anything bad as it transmits back into the child. If even one of the prisms is clouded or cracked, the essence and energy will be forever lost."

"That explains why Zordon wants them in perfect shape," Rocky replied.

"Where exactly on that mountain are the prisms?" Adam quickly asked.

Aurico answered, "They can be found on the surface as well as in the mines, although the mines are faster."

"Then we'd better get going."

0000000000

Moments later, when Billy arrived, blasts of heat hit him from all directions, making him break out in a sweat within seconds. As he looked around him, the young man understood why.

Around him were not only plateaus of bare rock, but also a seemingly vast he looked around some more, he found, a short distance away, the entrance of what appeared to be a large, clear dome. Inside the dome, he could see tall, metallic buildings that glittered.

_That dome must be my destination._

He walked quickly but carefully towards the entrance, not wanting to be out in the heat any longer than necessary.

At the door that led to the inside of the dome, he saw a pair of humanoid beings, wearing light colored clothing that seemed to cover the body, dark goggles and cloth hats that covered the entire scalp. On the clothing there were red and silver emblems that resembled firebirds with the wings fully extended. They saw him and immediately brought out items that resembled laser weapons.

"_Zhei! To'ka pearla khimn?"_ The one on the left spoke. From the tones, Billy guessed that it was a man.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak your language."

"_To'ka pearla khimn? Gauta me'te naghira!"_

"I'm not from Valle. I'm from the planet Earth."

Both of the natives tapped on the firebird symbols on their chest a few times, speaking as they did so. After five taps, the man spoke again.

"Make no wrong moves or we will open fire."

_Now I can understand them!_ "I'm not an enemy."

The guard on the right spoke, and he could easily tell that it was a woman, "We'll be the judge of that. Identify yourself at once."

"My name is Billy Cranston. I'm from the planet Earth."

"Earth, eh? Isn't that one of the infant worlds?"

"It sure is. What brings you all the way out here to Valle?" the man asked.

"I request an audience with the Phoenix. It's on urgent business."

She snapped, "Earthers aren't supposed to have _any_ knowledge of beings like her! I suggest you start telling the truth right now!"

"Wait, Karin, we better do this inside the guard's area," the male replied, "This boy obviously isn't used to our world, whoever he is."

She nodded and said, "Come with us. Once we get inside, we will get the truth from you. No lies, or you will be dealt with. Understand?"

"Yes, I comprehend."

The male guard tapped at a panel and within seconds, the doorway rolled towards the right until it was open.

"Follow us."

Billy nodded and followed the guards quickly into the entrance of the domed city.


	7. Valle and Aquitar

_Chapter 6: Valle and Aquitar_

_A.N.: Sorry that this chapter took a while! Between the holidays, too much stress, work and serious problems with my neck (all muscles went too tight, needed medicine for it), I haven't had time. There will be more chapters down the road!_

_Valle_

Right after the door rolled shut behind him, Billy and the two guards ahead of him walked straight into a room on the left. Inside were other beings that wore the same outfits, including the firebird insignia. He could also see consoles against one of the walls, and to his mind, they looked very futuristic. One of the people was taking out a small disc from one of the panels.

_That disc looks a lot like the one that Zordon-_

He quickly pulled out his own disc from his shirt pocket and inspected it carefully.

_There doesn't seem to be any damage from the sandstorm outside-_

The male guard from before turned around to address the Earther when he saw the object.

"Hey, kid! What's that you've got there?"

"This? It's some kind of communications media. It contains a message from-"

That was when another of the uniformed Vallans turned towards the trio.

"Hey now, Karin, Bein, what've you got there?"

Karin saluted, the side of her hand hitting her chest squarely. "Sir! This is a human from the infant world Earth, or so he says. He _said_ he's here to see the Lady." Her tone was derisive.

The new person hit his insignia a few times, then spoke. "An Earther, with knowledge of our sovereign? What's that he's got? Looks like either a incendiary device from that monkey Goldar's planet or an Eltaran communications disc."

"If you ask me," Karin replied, "He's some kind of spy or assassin."

"Hey, I'm not a-"

"Quiet, you!" she snapped.

"Both of you, quiet!"

After a moment passed, he turned directly to Billy and asked, "To find out whichever it is, I'd have to take it apart. Mind sparing us that and telling me what this thing really is, boy?"

"It's a communications media. On it is a message for Phoenix Llyra from Zordon."

He stiffened at that. "Zordon? As in from Eltar?"

"Affirmative."

"How does an Earther know of him?" he peered at Billy closely, then asked, "Are you one of his?"

He stared right into the native's eyes as he answered,"I don't comprehend what you mean, but if you are asking if I am a Power Ranger, then yes, I was. I stepped down and now work in a support role."

Karin looked right at him and asked with a sneer, "Him, one of the Chosen? He's too young! Surely you're not fooled by this!"

"Stand down, soldier, and be silent!"

She blinked and then nodded. "Yes, sir."

"You two return to your post. I'll take care of him."

The two saluted, then left, going back outside.

The remaining man removed his head gear and set it on a nearby table. In the regular light, the closely cropped brown hair was noticeable, and so were the brown eyes that peered at Billy, hard as steel.

"Get this young man some water immediately!" he ordered and gestured for the younger man to sit down before picking up a small item that looked almost like the kind of thing that shone a light into the nose and throat. In the hands of the muscular guard, it looked almost tiny. He walked over to Billy's right side and rolled up a sleeve before pressing it against his exposed arm and pressing a button.

There was a hiss and a second later, Billy jerked away.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Subcutaneous translator," was the gruff reply, "Now the others won't need to re-adjust their devices all the time and you can understand us easily. Considering who you are, I'm surprised this wasn't done already. Then again, you _are_ from an infant planet. What's your name?"

"Billy. Billy Cranston."

"Short name. I'm Gharme, commander of the Arkhaida South District guards. Now, you said you need to speak with our Lady?"

"Lady?"

"That's one way that we Vallans address the Phoenix."

"Yes, it's urgent, a matter of life and death."

"I see." He saw one of the guards come into the room with a pitcher and a glass, both full of water and on a white tray.

"It's for him."

"Yes, sir!"

Gharme then walked into an adjoining room, where communications were held. He tapped at the keyboard in front of him, making sure that he was in front of the monitor. A few moments later, there was a beep and one of the speakers came to life. On the other end was the voice of a young woman.

"_Yes? Who is this?"_

"Commander Gharme, Arkhaida South District. A young man from Earth has arrived and he seeks an audience. He says it's urgent."

"_An Earther?" _the voice sounded puzzled, and a little annoyed.

"Yes. He's one of Zordon's Chosen, sent by the sage himself, with a message."

"_I see. Bring him to me immediately, fastest transportation."_

"Understood!"

"_And Gharme...this Chosen and things on him, including that message, are to pass unmolested. Do I make myself clear?"_

"Yes, ma'am!"

"_Good. I will make the necessary authorizations with the transportation facility. Out."_

Gharme waited until the Earth man was finished drinking the water before entering the main room.

"I have orders. You and I are going to the Tower in Aeria'Edea. From there, you'll get your audience."

"I understand."

"Now, let's get going."

0000000000

_Aquitar_

Shortly after the Rangers started walking towards the mountain, Adam asked, "Do you really think the Machine Empire will strike while we're here?"

"Why not?" Rocky said, "Knowing our luck, they'll probably have a bunch of Cogs ready to attack on our way to get those Prisms."

"Hey, don't even think about it," Tommy replied, "Last thing we need are those metalheads to show up. Clairie's depending on us."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"How long until we reach the mountain?" Adam asked.

"We will arrive in one hour," Delphine answered, "From there, we'll enter and begin searching for two perfect prisms."

0000000000

_Machine Empire's Earth Base_

King Mondo was doing something that he rarely did ever since arriving at what was now their Earth base: watching the planet below using the old telescope that Rita Repulsa had left behind. Suddenly, he saw the tell-tale signs of Eltaran technology. The multi-colored grouping left the planet, and a few moments later, a second pillar of light had departed, but in another direction.

"Your Majesty!" Clank called out moments later, hurrying into the chamber along with Prince Sprocket as quickly as a machine like him could allow, "The Power Rangers have left Earth!"

"I noticed that, you piece of junk," he snapped, "But the question is, _where_ did they go?"

"That's what I was going to tell you, sire. The first group went to Aquitar, and someone else went towards the planet Valle!"

"Did you say _Valle_?"

"Yes, sire."

"This would be a good time to strike Earth, daddy!"

"Not just yet," Mondo replied, "This situation doesn't call for such actions just yet."

"But why? I want to take Earth while they're gone!"

"So do I, but why would they go to Aquitar _and_ Valle, of all places?"

"D'you think they're calling in reinforcements?" Clank asked.

"Might be...or they're looking for something that's important to them. Let's watch the Aquitar group for now, since that's where most of them went to. Send a message to our operatives in that area immediately!"

"Right away, sire!"

0000000000

_Valle_

Gharme and Billy walked through the South District of Arkhaida, towards the center of town. As they passed by several of the Vallans, the young Earth man felt many eyes on him, something that unnerved him a little.

"Aeria'Edea is the capital of Valle, and for good reason," the guard said, "Normally transportation is by shuttle. Transporters to and from the city is restricted to the capital's citizens and traders, while the only ones that can use transporters to the Phoenix Tower are those that live there or given permission by the Phoenix herself."

"I can understand the restrictions on the Phoenix Tower and to the city itself, but why do we need shuttles to get there?"

"You have no idea, do you? Well, I'll give you a hint: Aeria'Edea, in your language would translate into _Sky Eden._"

His eyes went wide at this.

"I see you understand now."

"Affirmative."

"Now, I know you'll be authorized to go directly to the Tower, but there's a chance that it won't extend to me. Before we go, I'd better teach you the proper salute, so you don't make a fool out of yourself."

"This one?" Billy asked and copied the move he had seen the guards use: a hard, sharp movement to the chest with the side of his hand.

Gharme groaned and replied, "No, that's just for the military or the guards. The one for the Phoenix is different. Just watch."

He put his hand over his heart, then bowed as the hand moved from his heart to his side in a controlled, sweeping arc to the left. He then ended with kneeling, hand on the floor.

"You try it."

Billy nodded and took a deep breath before putting his left hand over his heart, then moving the hand in the way he had seen as he bowed, controlling the sweeping arc carefully. As he knelt, his hand was on the ground.

"Good, very good. You're a quick learner."

"Zordon did teach us to have the utmost respect for fellow comrades and sovereigns on the side of good."

"He's a good teacher...and you're still a quick study. Now, let's go. The transport facility's downtown, near the Square."

Billy remained quiet for the rest of the walk to the facility. Once they entered, he saw a group of people, milling in and out. To his eyes, it almost looked like a futuristic subway station, with the guard station just off to the right.

"Commander Gharme," one of the guards with a uniform similar to Billy's guide called out and saluted, "we've received authorization for you and the Earther to proceed to the transporter. We'll take you to the Tower in Aeria'Edea."

"Good. Thanks a lot."

"Once you arrive, the two of you will wait for the Lady. However, once she comes, you will have to return to Arkhaida, sir."

"As expected," he replied, "Very well. Let's go."

Billy nodded and followed Gharme and the other soldier towards the transporter platform that was close by. Currently, there were a group of what looked like, to his mind, desert traders, and they were stepping onto smooth, silver discs that were on the floor. He watched as silver and white pillars of light enveloped the group, shimmering downwards. Within seconds, the traders had disappeared.

"You're up next, sirs," the transporter's guard spoke up.

Gharme nodded and led the way through the crowd. Some people muttered angrily, while others quickly cleared a path. The transporter operator, a young woman with dark hair, saluted and asked, "Destination?"

"Aeria'Edea, Phoenix Tower, Reception area," the second soldier replied.

"Sorry, but that area is restricted to Tower residents. Only exception is with the Phoenix's authorization."

"The Lady's authorized these two here. Send them over immediately."

"Yes, sir! Reception Area 5 is where you'll arrive, then. Just inform the receptionist once you arrive."

Gharme nodded and said, "Thanks for everything, Sharn."

"Not a problem, sir." He then turned to Billy, saluted and said, "May the Power protect you."

"And you."

"Onto the platform, please," the operator spoke up.

Billy and Gharme took their positions on the discs. As they did so, the former asked, "Anything I should know about Vallan transporter technology?"

"Why?"

"Eltaran technology causes small amounts of nausea."

He laughed and replied, "Same as ever, I see. Well, you will be a little disoriented for a few seconds. Stand still for one minute before stepping off and you should be fine."

"No talking, please, I don't want any accidents," the operator said crisply, "Energizing."

0000000000

_Aquitar_

"So far so good," Rocky commented, "No interruptions, and we're just about to the mountain."

"It's going _too_ smoothly," Tommy replied, "You'd think that we would have seen at least one set of Cogs by now."

"Yeah," Adam agreed, "I wonder what's going on with that."

Kat shook her head and said, "Guys, why not just think of it as catching a break? Ever since that stunt with Master Vile turning back time, we've been needing some good luck."

"That's for sure."

Within mere minutes, the two groups of Rangers were standing at the mouth of one of the tunnels that went into the mountain. On the sides of the walls, they could see light twinkling, and on the rocky ground were containers full of diamond-shaped gems.

"Whoa...how are we going to find the-"

There was a sound from behind the group, that of a weapon powering up. Right after that, Tommy and the others heard the distinct tones and watery sounds of an Aquatian as someone shouted, "Hold it! Turn around with your hands up!"

Aurico said quietly, "Turn slowly," to the Earth Rangers, then as he moved, he said in a louder voice, "Greetings, Ontol."

As Tommy and the others complied, he saw someone as tall as Delphina, wearing black Aquatian garb, with brown in his tunic insert. He was holding what looked to be a laser weapon, pointed right at the group. His eyes widened and he put the weapon away.

"Aurico! You should have told me you were coming."

"My apologies, but this is an emergency," was the reply, "These beings are Power Rangers from the planet Earth."

"What emergency would bring them to the mine?"

"A parasite monster is on their world, destroying any child that may become a Ranger in the future."

Ontol let out a hiss of breath. "An abomination!"

"Yes, it is," Tommy agreed, "Can we have a couple of Essence Prisms? There's a little girl who needs them desperately."

"A girl?"

"Yeah. She's the only survivor of that monster, and she's dying."

The brown-garbed Aquatian growled, then said, "You will need more than the Prisms to drive the monster out of that child."

"Yes, we know," Cestro agreed, "The child's brother is an ally and he's gone to Valle to get the rest."

He nodded and said, "Follow me then, all of you. You're lucky that we haven't been able to send our shipment of prisms to the cities yet. We should easily be able to find two, and in perfect shape."

As the group followed, Rocky asked in a low voice, "This Ontol guy...wonder who he is? I mean, is his boss going to just let us take the Prisms, just like that?"

Adam scowled at him.

"Yes, the mine's daytime shift leader will 'just let you take the Prisms, just like that'," Ontol replied, "I have excellent hearing."

"How would you know, sir?" Tommy asked.

"Aurico?"

The Ranger nodded and said with a little smile, "Ontol is what you would call the shift foreman and the mine's owner."

Rocky's mouth dropped open, which made the others laugh as they walked along.

"Careful, you'll draw in flies," Adam said to him.

0000000000

_Valle_

A dark-haired woman heard the tell-tale swooshing of the teleporter and looked at the list in front of her, frowning.

_As far as the schedule stated a few minutes ago, there is nobody scheduled to see the Lady until evening..._

She then saw, at the end, something new that made her eyes widen.

_**Cmdr. Gharme from Arkhaida's South District is escorting one of Zordon's Chosen, a young male from Earth, to Reception Area 5 for an emergency audience with the Phoenix. Notify her upon arrival.**_

_Isn't Earth one of the infant worlds? Why would someone like Zordon get mixed up with a planet like that?_

She composed herself, putting her questions aside, while waiting for the teleportation to be completed and the doors to open, admitting the unexpected visitors.

In front of her was the familiar face of Commander Gharme, who had been to the tower when escorting an important guest merely three days ago. At his side was a young man with hair that could easily be light brown or dark blonde and blue eyes, wearing clothing that was very alien in appearance.

_This must be the guest from Earth. May as well go through the formalities._

"May I help you, sirs?"

"Commander Gharme, Arkhaida's South District guards, escorting Zordon's Chosen, Billy Cranston. Emergency audience with the Lady."

"I'll contact her at once, sirs." She then tapped at the keypad, then waited for a certain young woman's voice.

"_Yes?"_

"My Lady, this is receptionist Merren from Area 5. Commander Gharme and the Chosen have arrived."

"_Excellent, Merren. I'm on my way."_

Gharme said in a low voice to the Earther, "Remember what I told you, and the bow, and you should be fine. Just remember to relax."

"Affirmative."

The room remained quiet until they heard a male's voice shout, _"Attention!"_

Immediately after that, three Vallans, in outfits similar to Gharme's, walked into the reception area. Between then was a young woman, as tall as the Earther visitor, and, judging by appearances, as young as him. Her hair, fiery red with orange in the center, waved as she walked, making it seem like her hair was truly a flame. She looked at everyone with sharp, dark green eyes.

Before the receptionist or anyone else could move to salute, the young man in alien clothing asked, "Are you Phoenix Llyra?"

Merren gasped in shock, which was echoed by the others. One of the woman's escort, a tall woman with short, cropped hair, snapped, "Watch your mouth! How dare you show such disrespect to-"

"Silence!" The flame haired woman cut in, words sounding like the crack of thunder, "Need you a reminder of our customs?"

The female guard turned red and murmured, "Forgive me."

The young girl nodded and turned to look directly at the young man who had spoken. She said to him, words firm and gentle at the same time, "Llyra passed a fortnight ago. I am Phoenix Namarri."

He blushed with embarrassment and bowed elegantly in the manner of the Vallan people as he spoke, "My most sincere apologies and condolences, Lady Phoenix. I meant no disrespect."

Namarri smiled and replied with, "My, my! A Chosen with elegance and good manners. I'm impressed." She then said, "Come with me. Gharme, you may return to your post."

"Yes, Lady Namarri."

00000

Billy walked over to Namarri and the guards that had come with her. He saw Gharme giving a quick military salute, which he returned before following them. He remained silent, not wanting to cause any more faux pas than he had apparently done already.

As soon as they stopped in front of a door, she said, "Now, return to your posts. I will speak with this man alone."

The woman that had taken umbrage before replied with, "Lady Namarri, that really isn't wise. We need to be on the lookout, in case this Earther is a spy-"

Before Billy could retort, the Phoenix crisply asked her, "What is your name?"

"Milel."

"Milel, an Earther he may be, but he _is_ one of Zordon's. Or are you insinuating that the sage has no sense nor is a proper judge of character?"

The female bodyguard paled at the question.

"I expect an answer out of you, immediately," Namarri replied with a casual expression mixed with an icy tone.

"N-no, my Lady, I make no such presumptions."

"Then obey my orders, to the letter."

"Yes, Lady Namarri."

She then opened the door and nodded for Billy to follow her inside. Once the two had crossed the threshold, Namarri added, "And Milel, I will be having a word with your superior about your conduct and apparent lack of respect around Chosen."

Before the guard could say anything, the Phoenix closed the door.

"I'm very sorry. The fault was mine," Billy said.

Namarri shook her head. "The Phoenix is not only a position of power, it is also a entity of good. In words you may understand, it is a symbiotic relationship between the Phoenix and the host. A successor is always chosen and marked, on the back of the left hand. When the current Phoenix passes, the being immediately fuses with the successor."

He decided to remain silent, not wanting to cause any trouble.

"Also, at that time, news of the passing is kept from the outside universe for an entire fortnight, partly to give the new Phoenix time to fully adjust. There was no way that you could have known this. The fault is with Milel, not you."

"I see."

"Now, I'm told you have a disc on you."

"Yes, it's from Zordon."

"Do you know its contents?"

"No."

"Hand me the disc."

Billy then took the disc out of his pocket, checked it carefully, then handed it to Namarri. As she walked across the room, he took the time to look at his surroundings. Unlike the rest of the tower corridors, which looked to be made of nothing but cold steel, the walls here were red in color. When he moved to touch one of them, Billy was surprised to find that it felt hard, like stone, but also as smooth as silk. In the rear of the large room was a large, green desk, with the now-familiar symbol on the front, facing the door. Behind the desk were four windows, looking out into the sky outside.

"Curious?" she asked, bemused.

"A-affirmative," he replied, slightly startled.

She chuckled and smiled. "I don't blame you. I pretty much did the same things when I first laid eyes on this room a fortnight ago. The walls are made of a special red stone, and the desk is made with everwood. No matter what spills on it, wear or tear, it maintains its original condition."

"I see."

"Take a look outside."

Billy walked towards the windows and did as she said. As he looked, his eyes widened with surprise.

Outside, he could see an entire city, almost as far as the eye could see, complete with round buildings and tall spires in some places. A thick, white cloud passed close by the window. There were some places where, as he looked down, he could see the desert far below.

"So Gharme was correct. Aeria'Eade _is _a city in the sky."

Namarri chuckled and nodded. "Half of Vallan civilization is on the desert land, and the other half is up here."

"This is amazing..."

That was when he heard a click and a small hum as she placed the disc into a small slot that was on the left hand side of the disk. Within seconds, a very familiar voice was heard, distracting the young man from the view.

"_Greetings, Lady Llyra. It has been a long time. This is Zordon, of Eltar. As you may know, I am the Sentinel of the infant world Earth. The bearer of this message is Billy Cranston, one of my Chosen."_

There was a small pause as Billy looked at Namarri and nodded.

"_The situation on Earth is very dire. It has been discovered that a parasitic monster has been targeting and killing children that are between the ages of 6 and 11 and contain power signatures. Billy's sister, Clairie, is currently the only survivor, and she is dying."_

Namarri hissed in anger.

"_If we are to have any chance of saving Clairie, much less put an end to this monster once and for all, we need Essence Prisms from Aquitar and Extraction Fluid from your world. If any other way were possible, I would have done so already. For that, I am truly sorry. As Earth's Sentinel and as a being on the side of good, I humbly ask you for your help in this matter. May the Power protect you."_

The disc stopped playing. The Phoenix was silent for long moments before she finally spoke.

"This monster...how long has it been attacking potential Chosen?"

"From what we've been able to tell, four years."

"Four years and none of you knew of its existence all this time?" Her tone had a slight edge to it that made Billy slightly defensive.

"No, we didn't. From the clues we've been able to put together, the mother parasite has the ability to stay unseen for long periods of time."

"And off of Eltaran scanners...I see." She sighed and said, "I can think of only one being capable of creating a monster like this: a master life-giver named Finster."

"Finster! Then that means..."

"Yes, I'm afraid so," she replied grimly, "This is Rita Repulsa's handiwork. I have to admit, I didn't think she'd stoop so low."

He felt anger building inside him where there had been sadness. _Rita did this...she killed so many __children and caused this to happen to Clairie...!_

"Do you know why Earth is classed as an infant world?"

"Is it because of the civilization or technology level?" he asked.

"You're rather intelligent. I can see why Zordon chose you. Yes, you're exactly correct. Like newborn and small offspring, infant worlds need to be watched over. However, there is a strict rule observed by the side of good: no interference is permitted with the development of infant worlds. The only exceptions are the existence of a Sentinel and his Chosen," she paused, "or if interference has already occurred, especially by the Alliance of Evil."

"Lady Namarri, are you saying-"

She did not reply but tapped at what looked to be a keyboard of light, hovering above her desk. Within moments, the voice of an older male was heard.

"_Aeria'Eade Medical Center, Director Keim speaking."_

"This is Phoenix Namarri."

"_My Lady! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"_

"Business, I'm afraid," she said grimly, "An emergency has occurred on the infant world Earth. Direct interference has occurred on the side of the Alliance of Evil."

"_What?"_

"Earth's Sentinel, Zordon, is in need of 5 medium sized beakers filled with Extraction Fluid. Prepare them, then send them to Reception Area 5."

"_Yes, Lady Namarri. It'll take about two hours, but we'll get them prepared as fast as we can!"_

"Good. Phoenix Tower out." She then turned to Billy and added, "The process will take, as you heard, two hours. Once it's ready, we'll get going."

"Excuse me..._we_?"

"Yes. I'm going to Earth with you."

"Begging your pardon, but as you said, it's an infant world."

"Yes, I know. However, as I said, direct interference has occurred. In addition to that, that monster of Rita's cannot be detected by Eltaran technology, much less revealed. I, on the other hand, will be able to make him visible. Besides..."

"Besides?"

"Considering everything that's happened, I will need to visit the planet. Who knows? It may even be possible to upgrade Earth's status, depending on what I learn. Also, Earth is as good a place as any to declare Llyra's passing and my own ascension."

"If I may, won't the government have problems with the planet's sovereign leaving on such a short notice?"

"Not to worry. Valle's ruling system is close in definition to what you would call a monarchy. Though there is a council of advisors, my decision is the final one. In cases like this, immediate action is required, not deliberation."

Billy smiled. _She sounds like a take-charge leader...not to mention stubborn._

That was when the familiar tones of his communicator sounded off.

"That must be..." he trailed off and pressed the correct buttons and spoke into it. "This is Billy."

"_Billy, has there been any progress on gaining the Extraction Fluid?"_

"Yes, Zordon. Lady N-"

She shook her head, then pointed at herself.

_I assume she wants to inform Zordon about Llyra's passing herself._

"The Phoenix is getting five beakers of the Fluid put together. It'll take two hours before they're ready. Once they're here, I'll return."

"_Understood."_

"One other thing, the Phoenix herself will be coming along as well."

"_I see. I'll inform the other Rangers of this development. Out."_

Namarri nodded, grateful.

"Thank you. Now, we need to see about a meal for you."

"Well, I didn't eat any breakfast before coming here."

She laughed, amused. "Breakfast? I don't know about Earth, but here it's noon. It's time for lunch." With that, she tapped at some keys on the light keyboard again, mumbling about certain kinds of food.

_Two hours until we get the Fluid...Clairie...hang on, Clairie!_


	8. Meetings

_Chapter 7: Meetings_

_Author's Note: Sorry that this has been a while, but I have been busy with RL, and fighting scenes are not my forte._

_From the point that Zordon calls to Valle until the end of the chapter, the music of choice is "Materialise" from My Otome, one of Yuki Kajiura's works. Also, there won't be any pairings in this story and Namarri isn't going to be paired, so Mary Sue spotters, go elsewhere._

_Aquitar_

Ontol opened what looked like a tool chest and rummaged around inside of it while the Earth Rangers looked around them. There were a number of Aquatians inside, wearing what looked like clear suits, filled with equally clear fluid.

"What are those suits?" Rocky asked.

"They are to keep us well hydrated while we're working in this mine," he replied, "Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to extract the prisms as well as we are." The mine owner then pulled out three long, silver cylinders and straightened after closing the chest. He then handed one to Tommy and one to Aurico.

"Twist these at the base," Cestro said.

Tommy did so and was surprised by the large, bright beam of light that shone from the other end. Before he could comment, his communicator went off.

Katherine winced and put out a hand. Tommy gave her the light source with a grateful nod, then spoke.

"This is Tommy. We're in one of the mines, getting ready to get those Prisms."

"_Good,"_ Zordon replied, _"I received a message from Billy. He will be delayed by two hours while the Extraction Fluid is being prepared."_

"How's Clairie holding up?"

"_Her energy is decreasing, due to last night's attack. Other than that, she is conscious and speaking."_

"Oh, man. Tell her she'd better hang in there, for us and for Billy. We'll be back as soon as possible."

"_We will. One other thing: the Phoenix herself will be accompanying Billy when he returns."_

"This'll get interesting. We'll let you know as soon as we get done here. Out." Tommy then said, "We've gotta hurry."

"I heard," Ontol replied, "Luckily the place that the best Prisms are kept is somewhat close by. Let's go."

0000000000

_Valle_

_This is outstanding. The difference is almost like night and day, as my friends would say,_ Billy thought as he looked around him. He was still in her office, with one window open, enjoying the warm air and the cool breeze. The air and temperature felt just right, and it almost made him forget that he was inside of a city in the sky, with an arid desert below.

After ordering the food, Namarri had excused herself and went into the room adjacent of her office in order to get changed out of her official clothing, which were a blue blouse with alien writing that went down the front, in the center, as well as blue baggy pants that he thought would more suit an Arabian princess.

_I'm almost certain the others will be jealous when they hear about this world later._

He stood there staring at the city so intently that he was startled when he heard someone behind him laugh.

"Is Aeria'Eade that interesting?"

Billy quickly turned and saw Namarri behind him, wearing a body-length, emerald green dress and green shoes.

"Yes it is," he admitted, "I've only heard of aerial cities in fictional stories when I was little."

"To be honest, the first time I looked through that window, I stared out of it for hours. Llyra thought it was...funny. Now, let's go down two floors. If you think this view is something, I think you'll like the one from the restaurant's balcony even better."

"I'm ready."

"Good," she said and walked towards the door. After closing the window, Billy followed suit.

After they went down an elevator, the two walked into a corridor, where they could already smell something that made his mouth water.

"So, how is he doing?"

"Who?" Billy asked.

"Zordon. I expect he's probably as busy as ever, pacing around the Earth outpost while his Chosen are out and about."

He looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "Actually, Lady Na-"

"Namarri."

"Excuse me?"

"Call me Namarri. Up until the past fortnight, I was an ordinary student in secondary school, planning on going into the university, so I could become a doctor," she explained, "Since then, it's 'Lady Namarri' this, 'Phoenix Namarri' that. It'd be nice if someone addressed me as I used to be, as just another Vallan girl."

"All right...Namarri."

"That's better," she replied with a smile, "Now, about Zordon..."

"Namarri, when was the last time the you or the Phoenix remember seeing him?" He guessed from her previous description that the Phoenix had its own memories, even after each host had died.

"About 11,000 years ago. Why?"

He took a deep breath, feeling nervous. "Zordon's body has been trapped in a time warp."

"What?"

"He does communicate with us, by way of an energy tube in the Power Chamber and the MTS system."

"How long ago was this? Who did it?"

Billy replied, "He told me that Rita Repulsa was the one. As far as how long ago...about 10,004 years ago, if I remember correctly."

She turned pale at this. "No..."

"I'm sorry."

"Doesn't have any living family?"

"He did mention once having twin nieces, named Celia and Frelia. Other than that," he said, then saw that a look of pure horror had crossed her face. "Is something wrong?"

"Hm? Oh...don't worry, it's nothing. I'm going to have a talk with Zordon when we go to Earth."

"I see. So," he said, wanting to change the subject and get rid of her expression, "What kind of cuisine exists here? I mean, with it being an arid desert world and a dual civilization..."

"Well, we grow vegetables in the domed cities, and we raise livestock in most of the aerial towns. Aeria'Eade is no exception. Thanks to our reclamation and irrigation systems, as well as regular rain from the clouds, we have plenty of food and water for everyone." There was a tone of pride in her voice.

_It worked._

"For both of us, I've ordered some salad with a tangy dressing, roasted _valin_ meat cooked with spices and a smooth dipping sauce. Also, there'll be some light, fluffy bread and cool, _dilma_ tea to wash it all down."

"That sounds delicious."

"Ohh, it is! It's one of my favorites back before I became Llyra's Successor," she replied with a little laugh.

The two of them remained silent until after they had entered the restaurant and Namarri talked quickly with the person near the front door, who nodded and bowed. He then called out, "Our Lady Namarri and Zordon's Chosen, Billy Cranston!"

Everyone in the restaurant got up from their chairs and bowed in the same manner that Gharme had shown Billy.

Namarri kept her tone level as she spoke, although there was a hint of irritation in her face, "Rise. As you were."

As the patrons rose and returned to their seats, the two of them went out onto the balcony, taking their seats a short distance from the railing.

"Whoa," he said as he looked around him, "I can see why you said the view from two floors down is superior to the one from your office. You can see more of the city from here."

"Yes," she replied, "Not only that, but it helps me to remember that just until the previous fortnight, I was one of them. In the final analysis, I'm not better or worse than they, even if I am Valle's sovereign."

"In the main room, just now...I take it you don't like the constant bowing."

"Not every time I enter a room, no," she admitted, "But then again, I haven't been the Phoenix for very long either. I suppose in time, I'll have to get used to it." She blinked, then said, "In case you didn't notice, the bows in there were also to you."

His eyes widened at this and he looked uncomfortable with this fact.

_No wonder she's uncomfortable with the situation._

"Now, tell me about Earth. Has Rita been the only intrusion?"

"I wish I could reply in the affirmative," he replied and told her about the events over the past few years, including the day that he and other had become Power Rangers, or in Namarri's words, Zordon's Chosen. As they talked, her expression changed many times. By the time he finished, a waitress in a red and white uniform was pushing their lunches on a cart.

"Rita Repulsa...Lord Zedd...Master Vile...the first two marrying...and now the Machine Empire?"

"Affirmative."

She groaned and said, "For an infant world, it sounds like Earth's a regular war zone. I had heard that the Machine Empire had seceded from the United Alliance of Evil. Rumor was that they had turned good, but from what you're saying, that's far from the case. All the more reason for me to go to Earth with you when the Extraction Fluid is ready."

At that time, the two of them saw an older Vallan male that was similar in build to Gharme. Instead of armor, though, he wore a brown robe with the same lettering that Billy had seen on Namarri's outfit when he had first seen her. On the left breast, the man had the same insignia, firebird with wings extended, that he had seen on everyone else.

The man brushed his long, red hair aside in a manner that suggested anger as he approached them. The waitress with the meals stood back.

"I've heard the most outrageous tale from one of the receptionists," he said, without preamble, "She said that _you_ are going to an infant world, of all places, before the sun has set."

"Word got out fast," Billy muttered.

"Ah, Alkman," Namarri replied coolly, "It looks like she saved me the trouble of finding you. Yes, she spoke the truth."

"That's ridiculous."

"And why is that?"

"I don't know about your generation, but mine was taught that it's against the laws of the Elder Worlds to interfere with an infant world."

"Yes, it is. However, there's one part of the law you conveniently forgot to quote: That there are two exceptions: the presence of a Sentinel and his Chosen...and the other is if there is direct interference on the side of evil."

"Yes, that is part of the laws as well. Are you saying this applies as one of the exceptions?"

"I am. There has been repeated interference on Earth, caused by the UAE and the Machine Empire. This young man came here on an urgent mission and relayed this information."

Alkman sighed and said in a tone that sounded suspiciously condescending, "I know you haven't been the Phoenix for more than a fortnight, so you would have little to no experience on matters of detecting deceit. It is extremely likely that this young man is being far from truthful. Think about it, why would a native of an infant world come here on such a mission?"

The comment sparked anger in Billy. "What do you know of the situation? I may be from an infant world, but that does not give you any right to-"

"Watch your mouth, boy!"

"_You_ govern your tongue," Namarri cut in with the same icy tone she had used before, "You may be an Advisor, but this young man is a Chosen."

The statement caused gasps of shock from almost everyone in the outdoor balcony.

"A Chosen, are you?" he asked, now looking directly at the younger man, "Look me directly in the eyes, boy, and name your Sentinel."

Billy stood up, stared directly into Alkman's eyes and said, "My Sentinel is Zordon fa Andel la Zeo of Eltar."

The Advisor paled.

"You know, Alkman," Namarri continued in the icy voice, "Earlier I had one of my personal guard punished for disrespecting a Chosen not once, but twice."

He jerked, almost unnaturally, then said, "My most sincere apologies to you, sir."

"It's all right. I apologize as well for my comments," Billy replied.

"I'll let this pass, then. Now that _that's _out of the way," she continued, tone warming, "I will be going to Earth to investigate the situation and speak with Zordon. After then, I will be speaking with the other Elder Worlds about the matter."

"I assume you will be taking guards with you?"

"No. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. Plus, there will be Zordon and his Chosen there as well."

"I wish you would at least take your personal guard, but very well. I'll inform the other Advisors about the situation."

"Please do so, at once."

Alkman bowed, then quickly left.

"As one of my friends would put it, I wouldn't want to be on your bad side."

"Don't worry about him. As I said, though they do advise me, my decision is final...and they know it."

"Lady Namarri, Chosen, your meals are here," the waitress spoke up as she delivered each covered dish onto the table, including the glasses of tea.

_This does not bode well at all. If the UAE and the Machine Empire are attacking infant worlds, other than just Earth, the Elder Worlds cannot stand idly by_, Namarri thought as she and Billy started eating their meal.

0000000000

_Aquitar_

"Somewhat close by, huh?" Rocky asked.

"Well, a lot of the tunnels in the mine extend so far back that it would take closer to a day to reach if you went on foot," Ontol asked.

The group had been walking through the mine for many minutes, closer to an hour and a half when they finally arrived at their current location, the area where the best Essence Prisms were kept.

"Two in perfect condition, correct?" the mine owner asked as he checked the bins.

"Yes," Tommy replied.

The Aquatian picked up two large, diamond-shaped, crystal clear prisms from one of the bins.

"These are absolutely perfect, no flaws, no cracks or scratches. They'll serve you well in saving that child's life."

"Thank you, Ontol," the red Zeo Ranger replied, "For us, Clairie and her brother."

0000000000

_Machine Empire, Earth Base_

King Mondo was on the balcony with his wife when Clank hurried into the room. Again, Prince Sprocket was behind him.

"Your Highness, we've received word from the operatives on Aquitar. The Rangers are on that world to retrieve a type of stone that they call an Essence Prism."

"Essence Prisms?"

"Yes, sire. They also sent a hologram of what one looks like. Here," he continued and then brought out a silver disc. He tapped on the center, which emitted an image of a large, diamond-shaped clear stone.

"My, my! So that's what they call those things," Queen Machina remarked.

"I don't know what the Rangers want with those things, and I don't care," Mondo said, "We use those to replenish our energy supplies, as well as making our soldiers. Listen! Send down three squads of Cogs to that mine!"

"Triple, dear?" Machina asked, "Isn't that much?"

"Not at all. We're going to take over the planet's mines, for the advancement of our Empire! Now do as I say!"

"Yes, sire! Triple the Cogs," Clank replied and hurried off to issue the orders.

0000000000

_Earth, Power Chamber_

As Alpha was about to go into the medical bay to check on Clairie, the sirens went off.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi yi! Now what?"

"_**Zordon? Alpha? What's going on?"**_

"_I would like to know that myself, Clairie. We have both Valle and Aquitar monitored, in case there are problems. Alpha, check both planets immediately."_

"Right away, Zordon," Alpha went back to the console and began tapping at the controls. After a moment, he said, "Planet Valle is just fine...Oh, no! There are Cogs on planet Aquitar, and triple the usual numbers!"

"_Where are they?"_

"They're at the entrance of a mine, the same one the Rangers are at!"

"_This is not good. Contact the Rangers at once."_

0000000000

_Aquitar_

Tommy was reaching out to take the Essence Prisms when the communicators went off. He quickly activated it and spoke.

"_Rangers, this is an emergency. King Mondo has sent three squads of Cogs to the mine. It seems he intends on taking it for his own."_

"Sounds like old fashioned claim jumping to me," Adam said, tone grim.

"Leave the prisms to me," Ontol said, "You stop the Cogs."

Tommy looked at the mine owner, then said, "Zordon, can you teleport Ontol to Earth? He has the Essence Prisms with him."

"_Very well. We will teleport you to the mine entrance, then bring him here."_

"Thanks a lot," Tommy replied, then saw the nod from Aurico.

"It's Morphin' time!" the Aquitar and Earth Rangers called out at the same time and began morphing.

Once all were morphed and teleported, Tommy, Aurico, Kat and Cestro quickly checked the situation. Just as Zordon had said, there were triple the normal amount of Cogs.

"Time to take out the trash," Tommy said, "No mine for you today, Cogs!"

0000000000

_Earth, Power Chamber_

Zordon and Alpha watched as the two groups of Rangers fought, using combinations of sweeping kicks, punches and the like. Some of the miners were pitching in by getting buckets of water from their supply of pure water to short circuit some of them.

"Those Rangers will make short work of them," Alpha said.

"_Don't be so sure, Alpha. Even with the Rangers of Earth and Aquitar in the battle, the Cogs still outnumber them. This could easily turn in either direction."_

"Ai-yi-yi! I wish you hadn't said that."

"_Alpha, get in contact with Valle and prepare to teleport Billy back to Earth at my command. This takes precedence over the Extraction Fluid."_

"Yes, Zordon. Right away!"

0000000000

_Valle_

"I must admit, I did not realize that there were such combinations with meats and vegetables to make such a delectable meal," Billy said as he and Namarri walked back to her office from the restaurant.

"I'll take that as a compliment. I hope the Fluid will be ready soon, you must be really worried about your sister."

"More than I care to admit. Are you certain that you desire to accompany me to Earth?"

"Yes."

The two of them remained quiet until they reached the office. Just outside of it was a short, chubby man with short, red hair and blue eyes. In front of him were five flasks, all on a cart that seemed to float in mid-air, that contained a blue, sparkly liquid. They were sealed and placed in transparent material that Billy was sure was not glass or plastic.

"Lady Namarri, Chosen," he said, bowing his head, "After I got off the line with you, I had the staff work double-time to get the order ready. We managed to get it all done with half an hour to spare."

"Thanks a lot, I mean it," Billy replied with a grateful smile, "Both of you."

"You're welcome." He looked at both of them, then said, "Fly in the Phoenix's Light."

Namarri nodded, then took control of the unusual cart and sent it into her office. As she closed the door, Billy's communicator went off.

"Zordon, this is Billy. We've secured five flasks of the Extraction Fluid."

"_Good. That makes what I am about to say to you much easier."_

"What's going on?"

"_King Mondo has sent three squads of Cogs to the mine in Aquitar in an attempt to seize it for his own."_

"Did you say _three_ squads?"

"_Precisely. Even with the Aquatian Rangers and the mine workers helping with the fight, they are still outnumbered."_

"This is not good..."

Namarri heard an ancient voice in her mind, one she had been hearing ever since Llyra's death and her own Ascension.

_You know what you are now, and what you have to do._

She nodded and closed her eyes. A split second later, she opened them and spoke as Billy was about to say something.

"Wait!"

She knew from her urgent tone she had gotten their attention and spoke quickly.

"Zordon, this is the Phoenix of Valle. In accordance with the Eternal Pact and in the name of the forces of goodness, hear me now!"

"Namarri?" Billy asked. There was a slight glow to her eyes, as though fire was within them.

"On my mark, teleport Billy and the anti-grav with Extraction Fluid on it to your base on Earth, then send me to the mine on Aquitar," she continued, "Once the crisis is averted, I will accompany your Chosen to Earth."

"What? You're Valle's-"

"I am a warrior of Good first, and Valle's sovereign second. It's time to send Mondo and his Empire a message he won't soon forget."

"_Understood. Alpha, program coordinates for Aquitar."_

"Thank you."

She then closed her eyes again and brought up her left hand in front of her, where Billy could easily see it. On the back of her hand was a brand, the same one that he had seen on all the translator emblems on every person he had seen here. Now, though, instead of being black, the brand was changing to a fiery red. Within seconds, a glow burst from the symbol.

Her eyes opened wide, and this time he could see flame within them rather clearly. She clenched her fist and called out in a voice filled with determination and anger, "Phoenix, Arise!"

The same fiery light bathed her as a pair of body-length red wings erupted from her back and flapped once before moving forward, covering her from head to toe. Seconds later, the wings disappeared in an explosion of light that was not bright enough to hurt Billy's eyes. He looked at her, amazed.

As feathers of red light scattered to the floor before disappearing towards her back, Namarri was very much changed. She now wore a headband of red metal, with wings of the same color on each side of her head, as well as a red choker around her neck. The body armor was definitely metallic, going all the way down to the knees, where a pair of metal boots began that were the same color as the rest of the outfit. On her back was a large bow, and the light that had been the red feathers became a quiver of arrows. At her side was a sword, sheathed in a scabbard.

To Billy, it seemed as though her entire outfit engulfed in flames that did not cause harm.

"I-Incredible," was all he could say.

Namarri paid no heed and said, "Zordon, now!"

0000000000

_Aquitar_

"This isn't good," Adam remarked he and Tommy were back to back, as fighting against the Cogs that were surrounding them.

Tommy used a sweeping kick to cause the ones on his side to fall. The miners then used water to short-circuit them.

"Yeah, those miners don't have a lot of water left, and we haven't been able to take out that many," the Red Zeo Ranger agreed.

The other Rangers from both worlds were taking out as many as they could, although in truth, they had managed to destroy one of the three squads. Cestro and Tanya were in the same situation as the two men.

Two of the Cogs were getting ready to attack Katherine and Aurico from behind, which Tommy saw. Before he could call out a warning, something that looked like beams of light with lightning on one end went through the enemies, disintegrating them almost immediately.

"Who was that?" Tommy asked.

Where the Cogs once stood were two arrows with what looked like lightning tips. Within seconds, another one hit two more of the mechanical underlings, destroying them as well. The arrows became beams of light that traveled upwards and towards a large hill.

"Who did that?" One of the enemies asked as the others immediately stopped their actions and looked for the would-be attacker.

Adam pointed towards the top of the hill and shouted, "Up there!"

0000000000

Namarri raised her arm into the air. The arrows turned into light and returned to her back, into the quiver. She heard one of the Rangers shout, "Up there!"

_It's as bad as I thought._

She glared at the mass of enemies down below, the fire still within her eyes and she spoke, "My, my, my. I leave home for the first time and what do I see? Cogs, where they don't belong. I warn you, if you wish to stay intact long enough to report to your master..." She then pulled back the bowstring, and as she did, two more arrows, this time tipped with water appeared in place, "Leave, now!"

"Who is that?" one Cog asked.

"Doesn't matter. Get her!"

She sighed and said to them, "Your choice," before she let loose the arrows. They found their marks, immediately short-circuiting them. She let go of the bow, which became energy and returned to her back, and drew her sword.

"What are you doing?" she admonished the Rangers that were staring in shock, "Back to action!" She then leaped off of the hill, landing gracefully.

0000000000

"R-right!" Aurico agreed and turned his attention back to the Cogs, and just in time. Two of them were about to ambush him, but he took them out with a quick sweeping kick.

Rocky saw that two of the miners were now cornered by the enemy and quickly attacked them with a pair of side kicks.

"You get back into the mine, save the rest of your water."

"Yes, thank you," they replied, them ran back into the entrance, a short distance off.

The newcomer fighter focused for a moment, and her blade quickly became covered with water. She impaled one of the Cogs, then kicked it backwards as she pulled her weapon out. As the enemy unit disappeared, she moved in an arc, taking out the three in front of her.

0000000000

_Earth_

Billy glanced at the Viewing Globe as he and Alpha got the Extraction Fluid off of the anti-grav unit. His eyes widened as he saw Namarri, the Aquatian Rangers and the Zeo Rangers thinning out the Cogs.

"Zordon, is she a Ranger of Valle, by any chance?"

"_No. Valle has no Rangers of its own, for obvious reasons. As she likely explained, the planet's sovereign has a symbiotic relationship between a chosen Vallan and an eternal being that is known as the Phoenix. Although she can invoke a metamorphosis, the power does not come from the Morphing Grid."_

"I see."

"_**Is Billy back yet?"**_

"Yes, I'm back, Clairie. I've got the rest of what we need to save you."

"_**Ok, I'm glad. Is it safe for my visitor to go home yet?"**_

"_No, not yet."_

Billy raised an eyebrow. "Visitor?"

"_The owner of the mine on Aquitar brought the Essence Prisms with him and asked to see Clairie."_

The mine owner in question walked out of the doorway that lead to the medical wing. He saw the young man and asked, "I wanted to see the child that these things were gathered for. Are you her brother?"

"Yes, I am."

"She's a brave girl to have survived as long as she has like this. She's also very fortunate to have a brother who would go to this extent to save her."

"Thank you," he replied.

"I will help get these flasks into the medical wing while we are waiting."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it."

0000000000

_Aquitar_

Within minutes, the Rangers and the mysterious woman had thinned the Cogs down to half of one squad. She then looked at the others and asked, "Any of you have any messages for Mondo?"

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

"What these Cogs see and hear, their leader receives."

Adam smirked and said, "In that case..." He turned to one of them and said, "Aquitar mine-jumping operation is out of business." He then kicked the enemy unit right towards the woman, who impaled it with her water-covered sword. It disintegrated instantly.

"You don't mess with Power Rangers, of any world," Aurico put in and saw that she was gesturing with her sword. He sent the Cog staggering backwards, where she cut it into two.

Tommy nodded and said, "You've crossed a line you'll regret, King Mondo. Get out of our galaxy," and followed suit, using a side kick to send another Cog in the woman's direction.

There was one remaining. The woman displayed her left hand in front of her, then switched to her bow and arrow, with a lightning tip. She merely said, "Mondo, you're done here," before firing it at the enemy's head. The Cog exploded on contact before the pieces disintegrated.

"You're one amazing woman," Rocky asked, "Are you a Power Ranger too?"

"No, I'm not a Chosen," she replied, "What of the Prisms?"

"They're already on Earth by now," Tommy replied.

"Good. Let's go, then."

"We?"

"Yes. I am accompanying you to Earth."

"Wait a minute-" Tommy started to say when he heard his communicator go off.

"_Everyone, excellent work. Rangers, prepare to teleport yourselves and the woman with you to Earth."_

"Zordon," Aurico cut in, "May we accompany them?"

"_Normally I would agree, but we don't know if King Mondo will make any more claims to your planet. If we wind up needing more help, I will let you know."_

"All right, then. Take care of yourselves, and save that child," Cestro said to them.

"We will," Tommy replied. Before anything else could be said, they teleported out.

0000000000

_Machine Empire Base, Earth's Moon_

"All three squads of Cogs, eliminated!" King Mondo roared, making Clank, Orbit and even Prince Sproket cringe, "Not even the two groups of Rangers should have been able to do that!"

"What I would like to know," Queen Machina remarked, "Is who is that woman who came to their rescue."

"From the footage, sires, I saw something," Clank stammered, "The woman had a red brand on her left hand, of a fiery bird."

"Did you say a _fiery bird_ brand?"

"Y-yes, sire."

"That's just great," Mondo roared, "The Phoenix of Valle has joined the fray. That's the last thing we needed!"

"Now dear, calm down," Machina cooed, "It's not good for your oil pressure. How about we watch the situation a little more and find out why the Rangers had to get her involved?"

"All right, fine," he grumbled, "But this had better be good, my dear."

0000000000

_Earth_

In the Power Chamber, Billy saw the Rangers and the woman teleport into the main room. He nodded at them, with a relieved look on his face.

"I'm glad you all made it out of that okay," he said to them, then he added to her, "It's a good thing you went in when you did. I'm grateful."

"It's not a problem, really."

"Zordon, just who is this woman?"

"_Billy?"_

The young genius smiled and thought, _This is one introduction I'm going to enjoy making._

"This is Namarri, the Phoenix of Valle, and the planet's sovereign."


	9. Reading the Map and Complications

_Chapter 8: Reading the Map and Complications_

As soon as Billy introduced their mysterious rescuer, Namarri saw the others move to kneel quickly. She said, "As you were, all of you. That's enough of _that_ here on your world."

"Sorry, Lady Phoenix. We were taught by Zordon to be respectful to rulers on the side of goodness," Tommy explained.

"As well he should, but it'd be respectful to _me_ if you treat me as one of you. On that note, call me Namarri."

"_What has happened to Phoenix Llyra?"_ Zordon asked.

Her expression became sad as she said, "She passed a fortnight ago."

"_I see. My condolences to the Vallan people."_

"Thank you." She looked about her and said to the Aquatian, "And you are?"

"Ontol, Lad—Namarri," he replied, "I own the mine. I came here to deliver the Essence Prisms and see the child that this is all for. I was told that it was not safe for me to return home."

"Well, it is now," she replied, "Thank you for your cooperation and your help."

"Save her and defeat the one responsible, and that will be thanks enough. Take care," he replied, saluted, and as soon as Alpha had activated the teleporter, he was gone.

"Zordon, I found out who made this monster," Billy said, "Namarri told me. It's-"

"_Yes, I learned the identity as well, from Clairie."_

"Clairie told you?"

"_Apparently, she had managed to get that information from the parasite within her. The one who had this abomination made was-"_

Billy and Zordon said at the same time, "Rita Repulsa."

The Rangers looked shocked, though Tommy and Kat were furious.

"_Rita_ did this?" Tommy asked.

"_Yes, Tommy. This was before either you or Katherine became Rangers. From what I'm putting together, right after the original five became Power Rangers-"_

Namarri continued, "Rita Repulsa had that monster made to cull the herd, so to speak, and to prevent any more Earthers from becoming Chosen. She must have had a plan to destroy your Chosen around the same time, or she wouldn't have set that up."

"She did," Billy replied, "Around the same time was when she tried to trap us in a time warp. We managed to escape before the portal back closed." He closed his pain-filled eyes as he continued, "Three days before then was when Clairie-"

"_That's enough,"_ Zordon cut in, _"We know now how this came to be. Now we need to extract the monster and save your sister."_

"Now, I'll help you set up the prisms and the Fluid to get the parasite out of the girl. Before I do though," Namarri paused, then turned towards the tube, "Zordon?"

"_Yes?"_

"I wish to Read your Chosen. With your permission, of course."

"Read us?" Billy asked.

"_The Phoenix, in all hosts, has the ability to read people with power signatures, like one of your road maps. With it, she is able to tell the future of not only Rangers, but their powers as well. Readings from the Phoenix are very rare and for the most part, are not discussed with anyone but their Sentinels. Namarri, I'll allow it."_

"Thank you. When I come up to each of you and ask for it, give me your name."

The others nodded.

"Power down first, or it will interfere with the Reading."

Once they complied, she walked up to the Red Zeo Ranger and said, "You. Your name?"

"Tommy Oliver."

She peered at him for a moment, then said, "Hmm, interesting. You've been on the paths of Evil, then Good, haven't you?"

"Yes," he replied, feeling old shame rise to the surface.

"Don't worry so much. The shame will never disappear, but you've redeemed yourself, and then some," she replied with a kind smile. She then walked to the Blue Zeo Ranger. "And you?"

"Rocky DeSantos."

She nodded, then stared at him for a moment before moving on. She addressed the Green Zeo Ranger, "Now for you."

"Adam Park."

She looked at him for a quick moment, then murmured, "Interesting," before going to the Yellow Ranger. "Now how about you?"

"Tanya Sloan."

"This is unusual," Namarri said after a moment, "You're not from here."

"No, I'm not."

"Hm," she said, then walked to the Pink Ranger. "Now you."

"Katherine Hillard."

After looking at her, the Vallan said, "You've got the same past as Tommy."

"How'd you know that?" she asked.

Namarri chuckled, but did not reply. She then looked directly at Billy.

"_Namarri, are you sure? He is no longer a Ranger."_

"I know, Billy told me. But he is still one of your Chosen, is he not?"

"_Yes," _was the reluctant reply.

_What did Zordon mean, asking if she was sure?_ Billy thought, then as she walked towards him he realized, _Does she want to Read me as well?_

When she stood in front of him, the young man merely said, hoping that he hadn't mistaken her intentions, "Go ahead. Billy Cranston."

She nodded, relieved, then peered at him. A look of surprise crossed her face. "Remember this always, Billy: when one door closes, others open. You _will_ be an active Chosen again."

Zordon blinked, surprised.

She took a step forward, as though getting a closer look at something. A moment later, the look of surprise turned into one of shock.

"Y-you..." she stammered, then turned to Zordon as she tried to hide her expression. "Wait for me in the medical wing, Chosen. This I discuss with your Sentinel alone."

As soon as everyone had left the main room of the Power Chamber, her tone turned to one of disbelief and disapproval as she asked, "Why didn't you send word to me that you were...in this shape?"

"_There would have been nothing that even you could have done."_

"Don't be so sure. Do the names Celia and Frelia mean anything?"

"_How do you know of them?"_

"Five hosts back, those two and an Eltaran boy paid me a visit. The girls mentioned that their uncle had been trapped in a time warp, and they sought my help. I wish I had made the connection back then between the trapped uncle and you. As it was..."

"_What happened to them?"_

"Celia's fine, the last I heard. But the other girl will not be returning, ever."

"_Has she passed?"_

"She's become the Eternal Host."

"_I see." _There was a pause, then Zordon changed the subject. _"The Readings?"_

"Yes. I'll start in the order that I went," she replied, "Tommy's got an interesting past and future. In the past Map, I saw Green, tinged with Evil, then White and Red in the present one. Further down, I saw Red in another spot, then for a long line, with no color, only for it to change to Black, with no evil at all."

"_It seems that the Power is not done with him yet."_

"Agreed. Now, for Rocky. I saw the color Red in two different parts of the Past Map and Blue in the present one. However, soon, his color will fade to nothing."

"_Are you telling me he will soon d-"_

"No. If that were the case, that line of the Map would have had different marks. It just means that he will not be an active Chosen for much longer."

"_It's a relief that death will not be the reason for that."_

"Indeed. Now, Adam. In his case, I saw Black in two different places on his Past Map, and although later there will be no color, there will be a period where Black comes back into play."

"_That's interesting...and disturbing."_

"Yes, it is. About Tanya, you have some explaining to do. Why did you allow someone from the past into the present?"

"_I take it Billy told you about the time when the entire planet had time reversed?"_

"He did. That was recently, if I remember correctly."

"_Yes. The previous Yellow Ranger had decided to remain in the past to help the animals and people, and to send Tanya to the present in her place."_

"I see. Then it could not have been helped. Her Future Map has almost no color to it at all, so it will only be for a while that she will be a Chosen." she replied, dismissing that subject, "Now, Katherine has the same past as Tommy, as you know and heard. Unlike him, though, I do see Pink in the Present Map and only a little into the Future Map, before it fades away. I should tell you now, though, that she, Tanya, Tommy and Adam's current colors will fade away at the same time."

"_I see." _Zordon paused before asking, _"And Billy? I saw your reactions to his Map."_

"I'm very shocked," she said, "I told the truth when I said that he will become an active Chosen again. However, you should know this: where most Maps of a Chosen are straightforward, Billy's is layered."

"_Layered?"_ he asked, alarmed.

"Yes. I call it layering because it reminds me of the layers to things like cakes, onions, and so on. Before today, I have only seen Layered Maps in three beings: Celia, Frelia and the Eltaran boy I mentioned before."

"_What more can you tell me about Layered Maps?"_

"A lot of the lines, actually almost all of them, are false. It's almost like the false lines are fog, or smoke that distracts the true ones. It takes a lot of training and experience to tell the fake ones from the real."

"_This is disturbing indeed,"_ Zordon remarked, _"Just what is in store for him?"_

"I don't know—" she said, then peered at him, almost out of habit. Her eyes widened with shock and sorrow.

"_Is something wrong?"_

"I'm sorry, Zordon. I accidentally Read you," she admitted, "I forgot to turn off the Reading ability. I also forgot that Sentinels can also be Read."

"_It's all right. This host of yours is still new at all of this. I would rather not know what you read, though."_

"I'd rather not tell you, either."

"_Are you going to Read Clairie?"_

"No. I will not Read her until this situation is dealt with. Her condition is too unstable for me to get a clear Reading."

"_I understand."_

"Once we get everything started, we'll need to deal with not only the parasite inside Billy's sister, we'll need to find and destroy Rita's monster. For identification purposes, we'll call it Mother Parasite."

"_The monster has been able to stay off of even our sensors. How are we going to find it?"_

"I have an idea."

_You're better off not knowing what's ahead of you,_ she thought as she discussed that idea, _Your line doesn't have much left of it. A short distance into the Future Map, the line is severed, and at that cut, I saw a thin band of Red. This host and I will grieve on the day that it happens._

0000000000

In the medical wing, Billy was checking on Clairie when he heard a few stomachs grumbling loudly.

"Oh, shut up," he heard Tommy grumbling and the other chuckled sympathetically.

"I'll go get meals this time," Billy said, "What do you guys want?"

"You're not hungry?" Tanya asked.

"No, I had lunch on Valle with Namarri."

There was some good-natured grumbling from the other Rangers as they quickly gave him not only their orders, but also some money to get them with. Afterwards, he went into the main room just as Namarri was exiting and teleported down near one of the fast food places.

It was there that he heard a familiar voice that caused a strong flare of anger to arise.

"Hey! Billy!"

The young genius froze in his tracks but gave a warning growl, "You'd better leave me alone, Skull, if you don't want trouble."

"Huh?"

"You didn't think I wouldn't find out that you've been bullying my sister?"

"Your sister? Who're you talkin' about?"

"Do the words 'geek and freak' ring any bells?"

Skull paled at this.

"That kid's your sister? This's gonna make things easier and harder both."

"What do you mean?"

"I'd been looking for that kid, so I could, you know..."

"You could what? Terrorize her more?"

"No, to tell her that I'm sorry."

That made Billy blink in surprise and disbelief. "You, apologize for bullying? What're you up to, really?"

"Look, this is hard for me, 'kay?" Skull retorted, then took a breath, "I've got a niece that's turned seven recently. She's a real cutie, with black hair. This morning, there was one of those weird booms, over at Angel Grove Elementary School."

"Did you say weird booms?"

"Yeah, the kind where there's this loud boom, but ya don't see any explosions."

_Don't tell me..._

"My folks said that she can't talk anymore, just like your sister."

"Who all was hit by this?"

Skull took a breath and said, "Her whole class and maybe four kids from the class next door. I heard it was about fifteen kids all together. Hey, next time you see that kid, tell her I said I'm sorry, okay?"

"All right."

"And not a word about this talk to Bulk, or I'll deny all of it!"

"Agreed," Billy replied, "And Skull?"

"Yeah? What?"

"Thanks."

Billy got all the orders and quickly left for the Power Chamber. He had news to go with the food.

_That monster needs to be stopped, quickly._

0000000000

When Billy teleported into the Chamber, he quickly gave the others their meals, then said, "Zordon, that monster attacked Angel Grove Elementary while we were busy."

"_I see. How many?"_

"Fifteen kids."

"_That is not good. We must hurry. Namarri?"_

Namarri came out of the medical wing as she was called. "Everything's ready to go. Before we start the process, though, Zordon and I have come up with a plan."

"What kind of plan?" Tommy asked.

"It has three parts. First, we use the Extraction Fluid and Essence Prisms you all collected to extract the parasite from Clairie's body."

"_Once it's extracted, it will be confined into a field that Alpha has set up. From there, it will be destroyed,"_ Zordon continued.

"Once that happens, it'll cause distress to Mother Parasite," Namarri continued, "Enough for me to find it. Then, I'll destroy it's cloaking abilities. Once it's visible, you Chosen will fight and destroy it."

"What about the victims from this morning's attack?" Billy asked.

"Once the mother is destroyed, the spawn will also be gone. They'll revert to normal."

"How do you know all of this? Aren't you just guessing?" Rocky asked, earning him a scowl from the other Rangers.

She calmly replied, "No. The Phoenix had the displeasure of coming across another version of this monster back on Valle, well over 10,000 years ago when Rita and Finster tried to take over that planet. When Billy described the attacks and their effects, I knew what was going on."

"So what are we waiting for?" Billy asked, "Let's get it started!"

"Billy," Namarri continued, tone becoming hesitant, "I must warn you this: when the parasite in Clairie's body is forced out, it will make what you would call a parting blow. If she isn't strong enough to withstand it, she will die."

"I-I see."

"She's fought this long, I'm sure she'll handle this too," Tommy reassured him.

"Yeah. She'll be fine," Adam added.

"Thanks guys," Billy said with a small smile.

"All right. The containment field is here, in the main room of the Power Chamber," she continued, "There are five laser weapons that Alpha brought out of storage. When the monster is contained, fire them at it to destroy it. Also, no matter what you hear, do not come into the medical wing until Zordon or I say to. The timing is crucial if we are to put a stop to the killings and save her."

"You got it," Tommy replied.

"As for you, Billy, stay in the medical wing with her and tell Zordon and I of any changes."

"Affirmative."

"Good. I suggest you eat quickly, Chosen. Time is of the essence. The longer we wait to begin, the less of a chance Clairie has to survive."

"We'll eat later. Like you said, she doesn't have that time," Tommy answered.

"True, but you fought a large battle already on an empty stomach. That's risky in and of itself, for obvious reasons. Trust me, you will need all the focus and energy you can get for dealing with Mother Parasite."

Adam asked, "How long do we have between using the fluid and the monster is extracted?"

"About ten to fifteen of your minutes. We've used this on humans before, out in the colonies."

"_Use that time to eat, but keep the weapons close by and stay alert,"_ Zordon ordered, _"Namarri, go ahead and introduce the Extraction Fluid into Clairie's system via the IVs."_

"I'll go and make sure she survives this," Billy inserted, then excused himself.

0000000000

Billy sat in a chair beside Clairie, watching her carefully. Namarri had carefully changed out the nutrients that the IVs were attached to and placed a container of the Extraction Fluid in its place.

"Clairie? Are you still here?"

"_**Yeah. I'm a bit tired, but I'm fine."**_

"We're going to get rid of that monster inside of you right now."

"_**Can I help push it out?"**_

"No," Namarri replied, "You can help by holding on and keep fighting."

"_**Okay-"**_ she started to say, then they heard a very loud shriek, seemingly coming from everywhere.

Billy winced and saw her arching her back and jerking around.

"She's going into convulsions! Namarri, is this normal?"

"It is," she replied grimly, "The monster's inflicting that parting blow I mentioned."

"_**It hurts! Billy, something's ripping out of my chest!"**_

"Clairie, keep fighting, no matter what," he called out, then turned and saw a gray, smoky light going out of his sister's body, passing through the two Prisms that were set up, one behind the other. He looked on in horror as her body twitched and thrashed while the crystals changed from clear to black.

"Namarri, those-"

"I know. Once the creature is in the field, I will reverse the positions of the Prisms and cleanse them. They will change to white, then transmit the contents back into her. If she..."

"If she what?"

"If she lives that long, that is."

"Namarri, you mentioned you did this once before. Did the other child-"

She shook her head, "No. It was a Vallan boy, and the parting blow had struck him so hard that he didn't have enough essence left to-"

"That's enough," he interrupted, "I don't need to hear the rest." He turned back to his sister. "Clairie! Hold on, it's almost over!"

_It had better be almost over!_

There was another loud shriek, as well as another arching of her back as a large amount of gray light came out of her body and through the Prisms.

_Good gods! That thing was almost ready to transfer everything to its mother!_ Namarri thought, _this doesn't look good._

There was a final shriek as an even larger mass came out and went through the Prisms.

She looked back at Clairie, who was now very still, with nothing further coming out of her.

"Clairie? Clairie, are you all right?" Billy asked.

There was no answer.

"Clairie! Answer me!"

There was a faint sound over the system.

"Clairie? We can't hear you. What did you say?" Namarri asked.

"_**Bi...lly..."**_

"Clairie! Are you okay?"

"_**That...thing's...gone..."**_

0000000000

As the shrieking went on, Tommy and the others stayed right where they were, as hard as it was to not go into the medical bay where Namarri, Billy and Clairie were at. Once, Tommy started to go in, only to be reminded by Rocky and Katherine to stay put.

When they heard the final scream and saw the last mass of gray light enter the field, the Rangers picked up the laser weapons and hurried into a circle, surrounding it, before raising them.

"Zordon, transfer is complete. The parasite's materializing now."

"_Rangers, when I say to, fire the weapons at the highest setting."_

"We will," Tommy replied.

Within seconds, the area flashed on all sides as the gray light coalesced into a medium sized, gray circle, with long, gray tentacles all over it, and longer ones on the bottom. Noises that sounded like slush moving about and gurgling came from it.

"That thing's been in Clairie all these years? Disgusting!" Katherine remarked.

Zordon quickly said, _"Rangers! Now, fire!"_

5 laser weapons fired at one time. Within seconds, a loud shriek emitted from the monster as it vanished, turned into nothingness.

"We did it," Tommy said, "Now about-"

Right then, they heard Billy calling out, his voice near panicked.

"Zordon! It's Clairie! She's-"

0000000000

Right after Billy's sister had said that the monster was gone, Namarri looked at the monitor that showed her vital signs. Her expression was grim.

"Namarri, what's wrong?" he asked, "Don't tell me-"

"_**Bi...lly...I'm sorry..."**_

"Clairie, you've got nothing to be sorry for."

"_**I'm...sorry...I'm too...tired...I'm already...going to...sleep..."**_

Billy put her words together with Namarri's grim expression. When he realized what she was saying, his eyes widened.

"No! Clairie, don't go to sleep!"

"_**Too...tired...tell the...Rangers to...get rid of...the mama...for me..."**_

"I'll tell them, but don't go to sleep! If you do, you'll never wake up!"

"_**I know...I'm..."**_

Billy's eyes welled with tears as he said, "Clara Marie Cranston, don't you _dare_ die on me!"

"_**Sorry...Billy..." **_could faintly be heard as she closed her eyes.

He shouted as loud as he could, near panic, "Zordon! It's Clairie! She's-"

Tommy called back, "Zordon's not here!"

Namarri said, "What?" and ran into the main room.

"Clairie? Clairie!" she heard Billy screaming behind her, followed by a single tone.

True to Tommy's statement, the energy tube was empty.


	10. In the Time Warp

_Chapter 9: In the Time Warp_

Very faintly, Clairie heard Billy calling out something to Zordon, and two other people talking.

"_Clairie? Clairie!" _ she heard him scream as she fell asleep and heard a single tone.

It seemed like both seconds and long hours had passed when she heard another voice calling her name.

"Clairie? I know you're here. Open your eyes."

She did as she was told, opening her eyes slowly. She was lying on something soft, but firm, almost like grass. In the sky were swirls of different, yet dark colors.

"Who are you?" she asked. _My...I spoke! With my mouth!_

"I'm not an enemy. Can you get up?"

"I'll...try," she answered, then she tried to move. To her great surprise, she managed to sit up on her own, then stand.

_It **is **__grass, and flowers! Am I in-_

That was when she realized that she was _standing_.

"I can move! Where are you? Who are you?"

"I'm right here," she heard a man's voice, coming from her left. She turned around and saw a bald man with pale skin and in a black robe. She couldn't tell his age at all.

"You're a smart girl, let's see if you can figure out from my voice who I am," he said with a little smile.

She thought for a moment, then said, "You...you're Zordon?"

"Yes. I am Zordon, from the planet Eltar."

"But...how come you're here? I'm..." she paused for a moment, then said, as though having trouble remembering something, "I remember Billy, screaming my name, then I heard a tone..." her eyes widened and she said, "Then...that means I died...and I went to...is Mama here?"

"This place is a time warp, Clairie. The evil one who made the monster that attacked you sealed me in this place a long, long time ago."

"I see."

"As for you," he continued, "Yes, your soul did leave your body. But, you haven't fully crossed over."

"Crossed over?"

"Come here," he said to her. As she did and sat down beside him, he took a branch and sat down near a patch of bare soil. He made a small x on the left, then a circle on the far right side. He then drew a line between the two.

"What're you doing?"

"That X is your body," he explained, "the circle on the far side is where souls go to." He then made an imprint, right in the middle of the line. "That is where you and I are at right now."

"Oh! I get it," she replied, "So, this is just a midway point, like a rest stop?"

"Something like that. I felt your soul in that stream, so I left the energy tube and came here to catch you."

"Oh, I see. Then after I rest, I'd better get going on my way over to there."

"That's not why I caught you," Zordon replied.

"But, if you're right, then I'm already dead, and Mama's on the other side."

"Yes, that's true. But, it would cause disaster if you continue onto the other side."

"It would? How come?"

"I have seen a future, a grim one for both you and another. In it, you continued on from here, and soon after...well, it would be best to see it for youself."

"Can I really see it here?"

"Yes. Look up, in front of you."

She looked up, and within moments, she saw an image in front of her that made her eyes widen.

_Over in what looked like Angel Grove park, the same one where the monster first went into her, a woman with red hair, wearing armor of fire, took a bow and arrow into her hands._

"_Now...time to find and put an end to this disaster," the woman said in a grim tone._

"_No, Namarri. I'll do it," another voice, a very familiar one, cut in._

"_Is that-"_

"Yes," Zordon replied.

_Billy came into view. His eyes were both wide and red, and there was an expression on his face that was outright frightening_.

Clairie shivered at the sight.

"_Though a Chosen, you won't be able to find-" Namarri said, then turned to him. She gasped in shock._

"_No! Billy, no! Don't do it!" she replied, "If you do, you'll-"_

_He stepped forward, body glowing with tendrils of energy. He replied coldly, "I don't care, not anymore."_

"_B-Billy..."_

_He continued to walk forward, then raised an arm as he closed his eyes as he spoke in the same tone of cold anger. "You killed my little sister, and you'll pay for that. I'll make sure you can't take any more lives!"_

"Wh-what's going on?" the little girl asked.

"In this future," Zordon replied, "Anger and grief over your death combined with something akin to madness, and it caused him to tap into strong powers that he wasn't ready for, mentally or physically."

_Billy clenched his other fist and held it near his heart. "Clairie...be one with me. Combine your power with mine. We'll destroy it, here and now!"_

_With that, he unclenched his fist and raised it to join his other hand and the tendrils of energy flared up, becoming waves of red. With a scream, the waves shot from his hands, through the air. A short distance away, there was an explosion, and the image was bathed in red light._

"What happened to Billy after that?"

"That power not only revealed the monster, it also destroyed it in the same instant. Your brother and Namarri, however, died at the same time."

"No," she whispered, "Oh no..."

Zordon nodded, "If you want to prevent this, you need to go back to your body."

"Y-Yeah," she replied. Then her eyes widened as she remembered something. "But, I died because I don't have any energy left, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, how am I gonna keep from dying again, then?"

He chuckled and replied, "You leave that to me. I know a way to send you back to the right time and to make sure you survive."

"How?"

"Keep in mind, this is a time warp. Just because you came here after you left your body doesn't mean you'll return to the same time."

"Oh, I think I get it," Clairie replied, "That also means I'm not gonna remember any of this talk."

"That's correct."

"That's ok, then. Maybe after I get better, I can see what you look like."

"Perhaps." He stood up and asked, "Are you ready?"

Clairie got on her feet as well, dusted off, then said, "Yeah."

"All right, then. Close your eyes."

As soon as she did so, Zordon approached her and closed his own eyes. Within moments, both of them turned into sparkles of light that drifted away.

0000000000

Billy's eyes welled with tears as he said, "Clara Marie Cranston, don't you _dare_ die on me!"

"_**Sorry...Billy..." **_could faintly be heard as she closed her eyes.

He shouted as loud as he could, near panic, "Zordon! It's-"

Before he could finish the sentence, Zordon spoke urgently, _"Billy. Bring Clairie to me, right now."_

Namarri asked, puzzled, "What?"

"_Hurry!"  
_

They nodded and moved quickly. Billy quickly picked up his sister while Namarri grabbed the portable IV unit that was connected to the little girl. Within seconds, both ran into the main room of the Power Chamber and stood before the energy tube, with the Rangers standing close by.

_Whatever you have in mind, I hope it works,_ he thought as he felt a small puff of breath near his cheek that almost wasn't there.

Zordon closed his eyes and the face within the energy tube took on a white glow. Within seconds, white sparkles of light left the tube and went into Clairie's body.

Even as she gripped the medical device, Namarri's eyes went wide as she realized what was going on.

_This is...!_

For a couple more minutes, the sparkles of light went from the tube into the little girl. When the last sparkle disappeared into her, the room fell silent.

"Zordon, what-" Tommy started to ask when suddenly, Clairie coughed loudly, gasping for air for a few moments, then opened her eyes.

"_I made it in time,"_ their Sentinel said, relief in his voice, _"Now, put her back on the medical bed and reverse the positions of the two Essence Prisms. If we don't hurry and put Clairie's essence back into her body, it will be too late."_

"No need to tell me twice," Namarri replied as she and Billy hurried back into the medical bay. As he put her back onto the bed, the Vallan woman took the two Prisms and put the back one in front, and vice versa. She then put her hands on both of them and closed her eyes.

"What are you doing now?" Billy asked.

"I'm purifying both prisms, destroying all traces of that monster from her essence. If I don't do this before returning it, that monster will regenerate, putting us back to...I think the term is 'square one'."

The crystals changed from black to gold, and then to purest white. Immediately after that, the one in the back shot out a beam of pure, white light, going through the second Prism and into Clairie's body.

"_**Am I gonna...be okay now?"**_

"Yes, you will," he replied.

"_**Big brother, how come you're crying?"**_

Billy touched his cheek and founds tears on his fingers. He took a shuddering breath and replied, "You really scared me a moment ago. I-I thought you were dead."

"_**Oh. I'm sorry."**_

"It's all right. Clairie, don't ever scare me like that again."

Right then they heard alarms coming from the main room.

"Ai-yi-yi!" Alpha spoke up, "The sensors are picking up a monster in Angel Grove Park."

"Can we see it?" Tommy asked.

"_No,"_ Zordon replied, _"it won't be necessary. That monster is Mother Parasite. Namarri, Rangers, proceed with the next phase of the operation."_

Adam asked, "Is it possible for that thing to infect us? I men, we have power signatures."

"_Not to worry. All of you are much older than the parasite's victims, and you are Rangers. You are all immune to the monster's main attack."_

Billy came in as he wiped his eyes. Namarri was right behind him. "I've got a message from Clairie," he said, "She said to, quote, get rid of the mama for me, unquote."

"Don't worry, you two. We're putting Mother Parasite out of business," Tommy replied.

"Ready?" Namarri asked.

The Zeo Rangers replied in the affirmative and Tommy said, "Ready and willing."

"One warning: Since King Mondo is here, he's liable to have a hand in the battle to come, so when I expose Mother Parasite, escalate immediately."

Rocky asked, "Escalate?"

"In other words, call your Zords as soon as the monster shows itself," Billy translated, "But that's against Zordon's first rule."

"_Yes it is, normally, but there are exceptions. This is one of them. Rangers, Namarri, good luck, and may the Power protect you protect you all."_

Billy remembered something he heard while he had been on Valle. He said to them, "Fly in the Phoenix's Light, you guys."

"It's Morphin' time!"

"Phoenix, Arise!"


End file.
